Okami: Chapter 1
by Azrael 8D
Summary: The world of Nippon is plunged into darkness once again and it will take three of the most unlikely looking heroes to save all of creation from the unknown evil.  based off of the video game but with several changes
1. Chapter 1

In no way, shape or form do I own Okami. Character designs, personalities, and other such things belong to the creator of a great video game series called Okami. Some characters may change slightly (Like Issun's and Amaterasu's size for the sake of convenience) and the scenarios are slightly different… because this is a fanfiction… doi.

Thank you, and enjoy.

_ Long ago, in a forest untouched by time, the emperor went with his royal guests on a hunting trip when they saw a falling star, coated in a red tail, shooting towards the ground. The star was pursued by three very evil looking monsters and their gang of unholy followers. They chased the star all the way to the ground right in front of the royal hunting party._

_ The men in the midst of demons, were frightened. This excited the demons and they attacked. From the crater jumped a spirit wolf, its white fur tainted by red blood. Despite its injuries, the wolf fought off the monsters until it collapsed._

_ The Emperor did all he could to revive the wolf but its wounds were too grave. The wolf would pass and, as it did, the gods wept. The wolf was later given a shrine by the gods in the forest, the crater turned into a pond for all life to drink from._

_ No one knew where the wolf had come from, and it was so mysterious that the legend of it died with the poor creature, only an inscription on its memorial gave a clue. "To protect the weak and mend the broken, selfless sacrifice unbound for all at a price most high."_

_ The legend was not to be brought back… until the wolf would be called upon again._

_ Oina Scribe, Ishaku_

Enter, Issun. A young man, a traveler, a fugitive from his own home. Not that he had done wrong, he just fled from his duties to live the simple and carefree life of creating beautiful spectacles and chasing beautiful women. Today, he would be going to the Takura Village to pick up some supplies to aid in his journey.

He was short for his age and wore a rice hat and a cloak to conceal his sword. In these times, travelers had to be armed, there was no way around it. The monster population had grown exponentially and only a fool would ignore that fact and parade about without defense. There was a time that was not so dangerous but that was long ago, when the gods were praised far and wide.

_BAH! Gods._ Issun would have mocked. It wasn't that he didn't believe in them, his heritage was highly spiritual, its just that he was never given a reason to have faith in them or trust them. If the gods did exist, they were fat and lazy for not helping the world.

Issun tightened his traveling cloak more tightly around himself as he walked into town, the wind was picking up.

In a sacred forest, known to travelers to be a haven for the gods and spirits, something stirred. The forest, elsewhere was peaceful and the animals went about their business. Anyone passing through would remain oblivious to the new divine presence growing deep under the very ground where the magnificently tall trees grew. A goddess was awakening.

The spirits that called the forest home could sense the stirring beneath them and grew excited, every plant and tree livened considerably until even the rocks seemed unable to contain their excitement. Out of a tree came forth a beautiful spirit, the guardian of these trees. She came to greet the arrival of the long awaited goddess.

The spirit was soft and had a peachy completion with a curvy body and beautiful hair. She was clothed in a cherry blossom pink kimono with a sash as green as tree leaves hung over her arms. She was indeed fitting to rule over the forest and its inhabitants, yet not one prone to fights or combat, her protective reach could only go so far, and she needed help.

She floated down to the ground and to an old shrine with a tall arch and a statue of a large, celestial wolf. Something troubled the spirit, there was very few offerings made to the statue of the godly wolf, this would make her job harder. People simply didn't believe in gods anymore, they felt in control of their own lives and destinies, but this weakened the gods, even her, considerably. She hardly had the strength to perform her task.

She stretched out a hand and placed it just above the ground near the statue of the wolf. Summoning her power, a bright light shone from the palm of her hand and onto the ground where the grass began to bloom into flowers that grew progressively larger with every passing second. At the center of the growing garden, a huge, white bud with crimson designs on its petals grew. From inside the flower glowed a light and the form of a wolf could be seen from within. Slowly, the flower bloomed, filling the area with light until it died. As the light faded, the wolf awoke. It yawned a great yawn as if it had been sleeping for a long time and gave a big stretch.

"Amaterasu, we need your help. Every day the world grows darker. In your absence from the land of the living, dark things have been happening. They are even effecting this ancient place. Please, Amaterasu, we need you now." The spirit said.

The wolf, Amaterasu, didn't seem to be listening. In fact, it hardly seemed awake quite yet. The wolf looked around groggily, surveying the forest as its eyesight went in and out of focus. It shook its head and looked up at the spirit, who seemed to be talking about something important.

"…And demons are running rampant! You, Amaterasu, must go out and shine your divine light on the world. Only then will the darkness recede. Of course, your long sleep and battle with the demons one hundred years ago have left your magic in pieces but we of the forest did our best to preserve them elsewhere so Orochi would not take them. You must travel to find them, though. The only way we were able to keep them out of the hands of evil was to hide them. You will do fine." The sprite said, though a bit uncertainly.

Amaterasu didn't seem up to the challenge quite yet. In fact, it looked like a shadow if its former glory, like an ordinary white wolf. How could Amaterasu do anything in this current state of being with no celestial powers? The future seemed bleak but this was the only hope.

"Go, Amaterasu. I haven't the strength to stay for long. Please, o greatest of guardians, please save us all. I hope my pleas have not fallen upon deaf ears. If you do not stand and fight, there is no hope for anything…" The spirit faded into flower petals and blew on the wind through Amaterasu's fur, waking the wolf further. The familiar scent wafted up its nose and the wolf perked up a bit, wagging its tail once.

Amaterasu followed the scent on the wind down a path, pausing once at the shrine where a statue of itself stood. The wolf stared at it for a moment, then looked at its reflection in a nearby spring. Its ears fell a bit in understanding. Another familiar scent went up the wolf's nose, a comforting one that might have made its heart ache if it could remember what its was. On one of the flowers by the shrine, the scent lingered. The flower did not look like it was placed there, more like it had traveled through the power of nature from somewhere. The area was prone to flooding, being a lowland valley nestled between large hills.

Amaterasu stared at its crimson petals, its head cocking to the side as the wolf tried hard to remember but nothing came to mind although the wolf felt a tugging at its heart. The smell of the familiar wind drifted back, beckoning to the wolf, who stood up and walked through the forest path. The scent became more faint as the wind blew harder, forcing the wolf into a run to follow. The breeze lead the wolf out of the forest and into the wide open plains that stretched beyond. Free from the confines of the forest, one could soar with the wind.

As the wild creature's heart began to pump more hard, it woke up completely and felt the joy of life and excitement of adventure again and soon, the wolf was taking its own path to its own destiny. Exactly where that path would lead was anyone's guess, but the wolf didn't care. For the moment, it forgot about its duty and the smell and everything else. Nothing really mattered right at this moment. Amaterasu was alive again.

Meanwhile, back in the village, Issun was enjoying a meal in the presence of a pretty, and thankfully ignorant, young lady who seemed very interested in the mysterious traveler that sat before her. Issun, of course, kept his hat low to hide his face. Girls loved mystery.

"Where is it that you come from?" She asked.

"Oh, yah know… far away." Issun smiled.

The girl found this infatuating and Issun couldn't help but grin quite stupidly under his hat. Before he could get further, he was grabbed under the arms roughly by two much larger men and forced onto his feet, his food spilled all over the floor.

"HEY! What's the big idea here? You spilled all the grub!" He protested in outrage as they pulled him away from the mess and the beautiful girl. Girls usually found him somewhat of a pervert so this was a rare occasion indeed. For it to be taken away from it was more than he could bare.

"What do you think you're doing? Lemme go!" Issun shouted. The two men threw him off of the walkway into a puddle of mud almost instantly. Issun was quite angry at this point and itching for a fight. Just then, the middle aged man that owned the restaurant walked out.

"Get out of here, we don't want your kind!" He said gruffly and angrily.

"What the-?" Issun began to protest.

"My son saw your sword, swordsmen aren't welcome in our village. Get out!" the man said adamantly. This was beyond suspicious and Issun stood, not bothering to rid himself of the mud.

"In case you haven't noticed, gramps, there's a monster infestation going on out there, only an idiot would go out unarmed." Issun said smartly. "Besides, I'm no swordsman or samurai. I'm Issun, the wandering artist."

"Sounds kinda fruity to me." One of the men that pulled Issun out said. This enraged Issun. First, they ruined his meal. Second, they ruined his night with a girl. Third, they insulted the worst thing that Issun could think of, his trade. He was passionate about his work and an insult on it was an insult of his very soul.

"Say that again and you'll get a face-full of my sword, Denkomaru!" Issun pulled out his sword and pointed it directly at the man.

Fifteen minutes later, he had been escorted out of the village by a crowd of angry villagers and was sitting on a rock, his pride damaged. _I suppose I'll have to stay the night outside again, _Issun thought to himself. The idea was not pleasing.

Monsters and the like were always more dangerous at night, in their element. Issun could handle it but that would mean another cold night with very little sleep. All he really wanted was some warm food, a soft bed, and a pair or two of large breasts to keep him company. He let out a sigh and thought for a moment. What was really bothering him was what the man had said. _Swordsmen are unwelcome in there, why the heck is that…? Did they have a run in with a rouge? Sounds fishy to me, and I know fish._ He decided to sleep on this, there was nothing he could do now except find a tree to settle in.

When he found a suitable one, one that was tall enough for most stronger monsters not to climb, he hoisted himself through the branches and up to nearly the top and settled down to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two! I actually have much more of the chapters written, it's just a pain to get them up because I have other things going on in a day… and not a whole lot of people read this yet so it's like I have a huge , angry fan base if I don't hurry. Enjoy anyway!

I do not own the characters.

In a distant mountain range, kept far away from the rest of the world and its troubles sat a temple. It had been placed on the mountain range which was told in legends was directly under the home of the gods. The air in the mountains was crisp and cool, and the atmosphere calming to the mind and soul.

One man sat in the garden of the temple alone, a cup of cooling tea in his hands. The monks knew very little about this man but he was very powerful and had knowledge of the gods that they had never yet heard of. He was always welcome at the temple, but they sensed an unrest within him. He would constantly be caught staring at the sky during meditations and even mid conversation, like he was doing now. His eyes were fixed skyward.

The man enjoyed the temple because it was the closest thing he could get to his old home, which he missed desperately but seemed to have no way of getting back to. As the young man continued to stare into the clouds drifting lazily, he let out a sigh. He had come to this place in search of a very old friend, but had yet to locate their whereabouts. No one could help him in his task either because he refused to describe what it was he was looking for.

The man himself was young and beautiful and had golden hair, something that was rare if not completely unseen in this land. He carried with him only a sword and a flute which he was very skilled at playing and often did, but the only tunes he would play were sad and lonely sorts. Upon his head he wore n headdress in the shape of an eagle with a veiled back designed like wings. His kimono was pink in color and he also wore purple hakama giving him an overall effeminate look. He usually wore a smile but it wasn't a happy smile.

The man continued to stare at the sky, spinning the cup of now cold tea in his hands. He longed for a sign, anything of his friend. Even to know that the unthinkable scenario of death may have worked its way into his search would put him at ease. He would know where to look for the dead, although it would not be pleasant nor fulfilling. He marveled at how one cloud in particular looked so familiar to him in the shape of a long lost friend that his heart skipped for a moment… no, it wasn't the cloud. Something in the air was different, he could sense it. He felt the presence of an aura that he had nearly forgotten, it was close by.

Without a second thought, he jumped to his feet, spilling his tea on the ground. He ran through the garden as quickly as he could, there wasn't a second to waste. After all this time, he may have found what he had searched so long and hard for.

The next day, Issun was asleep in the tree, his body rocking dangerously from one side to the next from the branch where he was perched. A loud bark suddenly woke him and he did fall, only to catch himself on a branch below him. His heart beating fast from adrenaline, he only barely noticed the lack of weight at his hip at the thud on the ground. He noticed that he had dropped Denkomaru in his fall and, to his horror, a white wolf was sniffing at it.

"Don't touch that, you mutt!" Issun shouted, trying to pull himself up onto the branch again. The wolf looked up at him briefly, then snatched his sword and ran. Issun let out a terrible sort of noise and dropped himself from the tree to pursue the lupine thief.

"Give it back, ya stupid dog!" Issun chased after the wolf. He found it even more aggravating that the wolf only had to lope slowly to keep in front of him. How dare it mock the Great Issun?

"I'M GUNNA SKIN YOU, WOLF!" Issun shrieked.

Just then, the unthinkable happened. Just when Issun was without a weapon, an ambush. There were nasty imps everywhere. Imps are common monsters resembling large monkeys. They carry instruments which, when played, can paralyze a human soul, and they wear paper masks with strange designs on them.

Surrounded by now, Issun felt nervous. No weapon, no prayer and he was sure they wouldn't let him go if he painted their portrait. As the ghoulish creatures closed in, Issun braced himself. One of the imps let out a shriek of pain and Issun opened his eyes. The Imp lay on the grass, its arm severed from its body and the wolf standing over it, Denkomaru in its maw. Issun watched as the wolf wielded his sword to dispel the enemies in the area one by one. How in the world could a wolf even fight monsters with a sword, anyway?

A quick slash to the neck, a stab to the heart, The wolf fought almost poetically. It made killing look like an art, somehow. Issun watched as the remaining wounded fled for their lives from the wolf. The wolf stood still for a moment, then walked over to Issun with the sword, dropping it at his feet, and wagging its tail.

"…Nice wolfy…" Issun said slowly as he reached down to grab his sword. The wolf looked up at him expectantly so he put out a very careful hand. The wolf stuck its head into his palm instantly and he petted its beautiful coat. The wolf seemed happy.

"You… uh… are very skilled at fighting…" Issun said awkwardly. In all of his years of traveling, he had never seen something like this ever before. The wolf let out a bark and then scratched its own ear with its foot.

"I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like you, wolf. Where did you come from?" Issun asked. He realized that it was stupid to ask a wolf a question, wolves don't talk. There was something about this one, though, that just seemed… higher than other wolves.

The wolf wandered off in no particular direction. Issun felt this overwhelming need to follow it, for reasons unknown.

"Where are you going, wolf?" Issun asked, walking beside it as it sniffed the ground, then a sign along the side of the road. The wolf went in the direction that the sign had advised, to a monastery in the area. Has it really known where it was going?

"You know, you might not be welcome there. They might think you're a monster." Issun said. Come to think of it, why did Issun trust it? Wolves were wild animals and no amount of animal experience that he had would change that.

The wolf walked down the path like any person would, its tail swinging merrily behind it. It seemed eager about something. Issun smiled at the beast, its manners were quite good for an animal. He decided ultimately to tag along, this wolf was interesting enough for a traveler to remain entertained for a time.

It was nearly nightfall again when they arrived at the monastery. Issun looked around, the place seemed empty and quiet. This seemed to unnerve the wolf as well. It looked around and growled softly at the building.

"I'm not liking this, furball. An oath of silence is one thing… and this ain't it." Issun frowned.

The wolf trotted up to the entrance anyway and scratched at the door, unable to open it. Issun obliged and let them both in. The inside of the building looked even worse than the outside. It was dark, musty, and empty. Like the place was abandoned.

"I'm really not liking this…" Issun repeated.

The wolf let out a soft whine and trotted into the darkness without Issun. He instantly felt the weight of loneliness and fear, not necessarily his own. There was something seriously wrong with this place and he didn't like it one bit. There was some kind of aura emanating from the walls, one he didn't trust…

Issun became aware of a light tugging on his cloak. He looked down to see the wolf trying to get him to follow.

"I'm coming, don't worry." Issun said, following the wolf blindly into the darkness. The wolf let Issun rest his hand on its head so they wouldn't get separated in the gloom.

The pair stopped when they could no longer hear their footfalls echoing in the hall, assuming they must be in a room. Issun looked around, hoping for a crack of light that might betray the location of a window.

When one was located, he spoke to the wolf. "Hang tight, okay? I'll ne right back."

Issun crossed the floor while the wolf waited, seeming ill at ease about something. Issun could hear it shifting as he walked. Just then, he stumbled over something and nearly fell.

"AH! …dammit!" He cursed as he tried to regain his balance for a second. The wolf let out a bark.

"Its okay, I'm not hurt… I just stumbled." Issun said. The steady brushing of a tail against wood flooring met his ears as he finally reached the window, no worse for wear. He swung it open and a gruesome sight met their eyes.

Bodies of decapitated priests lay in a dried stain of their own blood. There were at least eight. They had also been dead for a while, at least a week. The wolf immediately stood and took an offensive position, the fur on its back standing on end as it growled.

Issun covered his nose with his cloak. "That explains the smell…"  
The wolf continued to stare, transfixed at the corpses, its eyes glowing with hate. Could wolves display hatred in their eyes?

"Its okay, calm down, furball. They're already dead. There's nothing we can do." Issun stepped over the bodies and petted the wolf carefully. It seemed to calm down a bit. Once it stopped growling, it walked over to a dead body and very gently moved it out of the way of something.

"Oh-ho! A trap door!" Issun exclaimed. "This should be interesting."

He pulled the trap door open with some difficulty, it was heavier than it looked. The instant it was open far enough, the wolf slipped through and disappeared.

"Hey, wait up!" Issun called after it, sliding in himself.

He found himself in a cavern, lit distantly by candles. He could see the form of the wolf trotting down the dimly lit cove. Issun followed quickly to catch up. They walked together in the near darkness for what seemed like ages until the wolf grew excited and ran ahead.

"I can't keep up with you if you run, slow down!" Issun shouted, running to keep up. Before he knew it, he was inside a huge internal cave room lit by hundreds of candles. The wolf stood, wagging its tail and a small group of surviving monks and priests. They looked back at the unlikely duo in surprise. Then, the oldest and obviously the head of them all smiled at the wolf.

"Welcome, Amaterasu."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three finally up! I must admit that I am losing my motivation due to the Legend of Zelda and some Jhonen Vasquez… Okamiden really needs to come out soon so I don't lose it completely… enjoy this chapter. Reviews are appreciated… even if you're telling me how much I suck…

In a surprising turn of events, the Amaterasu and Issun were treated to a feast. Issun watched in amazement as the wolf gobbled down more food than he had ever seen anything that size eat.

"We were beginning to think you were not going to come, Amaterasu." The high priest said happily, ignoring the flecks of food that flew into his face from the wolf's voracious eating.

"Why do ya keep talking to it?" Issun asked, his mouth full of rice.

"Why do you?" The priest threw the question back, making Issun pause.

"Well… I…" He thought of many excuses but none seemed good enough.

"She's no ordinary wolf, you can sense that." The priest said with a sly smile.

"I know that, she fought off a pack of imps on the way here with my sword." Issun snapped back, stuffing his mouth to bursting point with more food before the wolf finished his off too.

"That wolf is called Amaterasu, and she it a guardian spirit." the priest informed Issun. Issun paused for a moment and looked at Amaterasu, the wolf was a bit different…

"She's a guardian spirit, no way." Issun said.

"She's THE guardian goddess." The priest said, causing Issun to choke on his food.

"You can't be serious!" Issun exclaimed.

"Do you honestly think we teach lying as a virtue here?" The Priest asked, raising an eyebrow. Issun frowned and looked at the wolf, there was nothing godly about it, except its appetite that was as big as the cosmos.

"It is hard to believe now, but an old legend speaks of a great god that fell from the sky into the Ancient Forest a hundred years ago and fought to save the king himself at the cost if its own life…" The priest began to say.

"I've heard that story, my grandpa used to tell it to me all the time." Issun said, interrupting the priest.

"Yes, but in the fight, it also lost all of its godly powers and they lay scattered in ruins and as relics of the past. That is why Amaterasu looks so feeble now." The priest said. Amaterasu looked up at the priest when he said that, Issun thought she looked a touch self conscious.

"We do have a relic here that she once wielded a long time ago, it should be enough to kick start her powers." The priest said. "Come with me."

Issun looked back at Amaterasu.

"Ya think we should follow him?" Issun asked the wolf.

Amaterasu swallowed one more rice cake and then stood up, following the monk down a different cave passage. Issun stood too and followed her. The cave was dimly lit and the lanterns that hung on the wall were covered in a blue paper which shone an unnatural flickering light over them, causing strange shadows to dance across the rock walls. They proceeded into another cavern. On the ceiling was a hole so that the light of the sun or moon would shine through down on a very large glaive mounted upon a stone.

"This is Tsumugari, one of the divine instruments that Amataseru uses in battle to exorcise demons." The priest explained.

"…This wolf could use a sword this size?" Issun raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You're pulling my leg."

As Issun talked, Amaterasu made her way up to the glaive, which began to glint a bit more in the presence of its former master. Amaterasu took the hilt in her mouth and almost instantly, was enveloped in a bright light as powerful as the sun. Issun had to sheild his eyes but by the time the light faded, the white wolf was no longer standing before them. Instead was a wolf the size of a horse with crimson markings on its face and back, wisps of fur that resembled swirling wings on her body and a definite divine aura. The glaive was suspended a few inches from her back.

"Oh gods…" Issun muttered. The priest seemed pleased enough and bowed to her. The wolf blinked.

"Great goddess Amaterasu…" The priest said. Issun looked over at the priest and quickly bowed his head slightly, showing at least some respect.

"It is good to see you are looking more like your former self. Now that you have some of your power back, you will find the rest easier. There is a pull between your divine magic and the more you accumulate, the easier you will find the rest. I do not know the full meaning of why you are here but I do know that it has to do with the growing darkness that encompasses our land. I can point you in the direction of Agata Forest. The area is surrounded by a curse zone." The priest spoke in a humble tone, but Amaterasu didn't seem to mind, or be paying attention in the least. She was currently sniffing the air where the food was coming from and wanting to get back to it.

"A cursed zone, in the entire Agata Forest area?" Issun seemed to grasp the severity of the situation. "Whatever put that there must be one heck of a monster… I didn't think they could get that big or kill off so many trees!"

The priest nodded grimly. "Yes, we suspect it to be the work of Orochi."

"Who is Orochi, I've never heard of him." Issun folded his arms. Amaterasu seemed to twitch her ears in the direction of the priest when he mentioned the name "Orochi".

"Well, he's this humungous creature that has eight heads and is serpent-like…" The priest began to pantomime awkwardly to describe the creature.

"Hold on, I think we can do this better." Issun pulled a scroll, some ink, and a brush from his bag and sat on the floor, getting his work station together. "Describe him again?"

As the priest described the horrors of Orochi and Issun drew, Amaterasu found herself being pulled slowly back to the food, thinking she was being sneaky, but a wolf her size in a small cavern could be easily noticed, even if she was trying to be sneaky.

"There, all finished. Is this what he looks like?" Issun held up his scroll to the priest.

The priest gasped as he looked at it. "Yes! Almost exactly like him!"

"Well, they don't call me a Wandering Artist for nothing." Issun bragged. "Hey, furball! Come here and tell me what you think!"

Amaterasu froze, thinking she had been caught. But when no one seemed like they were going to yell at her, she hurried over to Issun and sat down. Issun held up the scroll for her to see.

Amaterasu jumped to her feet, her hair standing on end. She growled at the scroll, staring directly at the picture. Issun blinked and moved the picture to the left, Amaterasu followed it. She did the same when Issun held the picture above his head.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Issun smiled.

The priest gave Issun a look that reminded him a bit too much of his grandfather.

Issun cleared his throat quickly. "Seriously, though. He looks like one tough dude. Is he the one that attacked you guys?"

"No, we were attacked by a monster known as the spider queen" The Priest said grimly.

"Then what's all this nutty talk about Orochi?" Issun asked.

"Well, Orochi is the only demon that we know of that can create cursed zones as large as the ones that are spreading now, but the Spider Queen is the only creature known to steal the heads of her victims."

"…She steals heads? Like the headless dead guys upstairs?" Issun asked tactlessly, Amaterasu groaned a bit at him.

The priest nodded.

"What does she do with the heads?" Issun asked. "Eat 'em?"

"No, much worse. With the heads she collects, she can make masks to fool whomever she needs. All she has to do is put on one of her human masks and she will also gain the abilities that the person once had." The priest explained.

"Yikes! Sounds bad." Issun said before looking at Amaterasu. "Make sure she doesn't get you or the entire world is screwed over easy."

"Yes, you must make sure that never happens." The priest said.

"What, me?" Issun asked, surprised.

"She has chosen you as her new ally, you should consider yourself very lucky." The priest said.

"Somehow. being dragged into a cosmic battle with demons doesn't make me feel very lucky." Issun frowned, crossing his arms and glaring at Amaterasu. "What did you get me into."

Amaterasu simply licked his face encouragingly.

"Okay, fine! I'll go with you…" Issun said. "But I'm dropping out if things get too risky. I'm not giving MY life up for the sake of mankind."

A dim light began to grow from inside the room, causing Issun and Amaterasu's conversation to be cut short. They looked over in the direction of the light, which was coming from the head priest. He seemed to be dissolving into thin air.

"Wah! Hey, what's going on?" Issun took a step towards the priest. "You're not being attacked or possessed, are you?"

Amaterasu immediately took and offensive stance, ready to attack when needed.

"No, I'm passing on to the next world." The priest said in a slowly softening voice.

"Passing on-… you're DEAD?" Issun shouted in shock. Amaterasu stood up straight and seemed just as shocked as Issun.

"The bodies that you found above this cave belong to all the monks of this monastery, killed by the Spider Queen." The priest explained.

"All of you are dead?" Issun asked.

"Yes, but we knew that we could not leave this world until the sacred relic, the divine instrument Tsumugari was returned to its rightful owner." The priest said.

"That's that, then? You're all just going to disappear?" Issun asked.

"Pass on, yes." The priest said, a look of calm relief on his face. "Our time has passed, but your troubles have just began. Begin your search in any place of evil. Where there is darkness, there will be light soon to follow. May your journey be successful, Amaterasu."

With that, the priest disappeared.

"…They're gone, Amaterasu…" Issun frowned again. "Amaterasu, that's a mouthful. I'm just going to shorten that to Ammy, okay?"

Amaterasu barked once.

"Well, the priest guy said to look where there is darkness… So I think we should head to Agata Forest to check out that cursed zone. I doubt there will be any way we can get rid of it, but we might find a few clues to your powers and to that Orochi guy." Issun said.

Before leaving the temple, Issun and Amaterasu buried the headless bodies of the monks in the monastery garden. They marked several heavy stones that they placed on top of the graves.

"We really should bury them with their heads, but as long as that Spider wench has them that ain't gonna happen. We might as well head out there now." Issun said. "Agata forest is just west of here, but we'd better be careful. Its one wild place and the only people that survive there are as hostile as the forest. We'll get there faster if I hitch a ride on your back."

Issun hopped gracefully onto the back of Amaterasu and pointed to the west. "Agata Forest is in that general direction!"

Amaterasu broke into a run while Issun clung onto her fur and the two of them set off for Agata Forest.


	4. Chapter 4

Dear GOD it's been too long! Sorry to the five people that have subscribed (or whatever its called on this site) to my story. Five is not enough dedicated fans to pay notice to, but it's enough to make me feel guilty. The chances of me finishing this are dwindling now, I'm so fickle. LUCKILY! My preordered Okami Den should be arriving this coming Tuesday and if I can stop playing Assassin's Creed and Pokemon White version long enough, I might get back into it.

I blame first my Zombie graphic novel that I got back into working on. By the way, does anyone know a good comic sharing site that I could put my Zombie graphic novel on? (This is the part where you write the answer to my question in the reviews to help me). I also got re-hooked on Ouran High School Host Club because of my weakness for twincest, random Japanese humor, and Vic Mignogna. Oh, if only I could be a voice actor and meet him one day, I would die happy. Also, My friend got me to buy Pokemon white version and, I must say, I'm really quite pleased with it. I haven't had this much fun playing a new pokemon game since Emerald came out. I'm actually making and effort to "catch 'em all" this time. I love my Servine and Zebstrika… I named my purrloin after one of the characters in my Zombie comic that I would really like to share with the world –but I don't know how. Those of you who like my stuff should help me out and find a good place to post it… but its gory because what's a zombie story without unnecessary blood and gore?

WOW! Long intro, okay. Onto the story.

They arrived to the canyon that Agata Forest lied in through a short cave along the path. Once they stepped out into the light, they saw the extent of the damage to Agata.

They were perched quite a ways up one of the cliff walls that surrounded the forest but there was a path along the wall that lead all the way down to the forest and the lake that covered over half of the forest floor. Dark red and black fog hung around the entire forest floor. There was absolutely no wind and all of the plant life was dead. As far as the eye could see, there were no animals remaining either. The entire forest had been turned into a barren wasteland of darkness.

"Gods…" Issun muttered as he slowly surveyed the land with a grimace. "I didn't want to believe it… this is some serious evil at work here, furball."

Amaterasu sniffed the air and growled deeply.

"What? What is it now?" Issun looked around. He neglected to look behind them above the cave they just exited. A small group of imps sat quietly, waiting to strike. They jumped, shrieking at the top of their lungs.

"Look out!" Issun shouted, reaching for his sword but it was too late. The imps were upon them before they had time to react. One of the disgustingly dirty, hand-like feet of the imps caught Issun right under the chin, mid kick. Issun's jaw smashed into the rest of his head, the pain recoiling from the top of his head and radiating down his spine a ways. The power of the kick knocked Issun right off of Amaterasu's back and over the side of the cliff. Below him, a few very small patched of land surrounded by the murkiest water, and the cursed zone. If the curse was powerful enough to kill trees, Issun was horrified to find out what it might do to him.

With a shout of fear, Issun plummeted to what he was certain was his death. Amaterasu, still on the ledge by the cave ignored the imps attempts to engage her in battle and followed Issun off the cliff. Issun watched as Amaterasu jumped, clueless to any idea that came through her mind to make her do so. Amaterasu held her limbs as streamlined as her anatomy would allow and finally caught up to Issun. The Cursed zone was only yards away and Issun could feel it sucking out his life force. His eyes blurred over and the last thing he heard was what sounded like a loud gust of wind, and then he blacked out.

Issun came to awareness later, refusing to open his eyes in fear of what he might see. A short whine and a bark hit Issun's ears and pounded in his head, the pain was excruciating and he groaned. The moaning and whining stopped and he felt something heavy press and nudge his side. Finally, Issun was coaxed into opening his eyes.

When he did open his eyes, Issun saw Amaterasu beside him. Her ears were laid back and her twitchiness told Issun that she was restless about something. A lick to the face told Issun that she was concerned about him.

Issun sat up very slowly as his headache worsened with every move he made. He looked around even more slowly and saw the cursed zone not more than a few steps away from where he was sitting. From here, he could see the smoky purple shapes that twisted into the abstract images that one would be reminded of death. Issun let out a frightened choking noise and scooted backwards until his back hit the cliff wall. They had somehow landed on a small, two foot wide path between the cliff and the curse that hung over the water. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then looked at Amaterasu angrily.

"Don't be so spacy, ya big furball! That fall almost killed me!" Issun shouted at her. Amaterasu looked a bit sorry, but not much. She was focused on the path alongside the lake. On the shore about half a mile away stood a banner that read "Madame Fawn" was pinned over the entrance of a cave. The beach was also curse free.

"What's that all about?" Issun muttered, his headache preventing him from thinking too deeply about what he saw. Amaterasu stood up and started walking down the path. Issun got up to follow but the effort made his head throb and the ground spin. He then collapsed to his knees and immediately vomited on the ground. When he reached up to hold his aching head, he felt liquid trickling down onto his hands. He pulled one hand away and saw that it was red.

"I'm bleeding…" Issun commented stupidly.

Amaterasu ran back over to him and licked off some of the blood in a motherly fashion.

"Did you drop me on my head or someth'n…?" Issun struggled to say. The pain was clouding his head and preventing him from thinking.

Amaterasu laid on the ground and tried to communicate to Issun to get on her back. Issun didn't seem to be catching onto the cues so she had to take his sleeve and pull him up herself. Issun moaned in pain as he was moved haphazardly by the wolf's mouth onto her back and tried his best to hang on as she loped over to the mouth of the cave.

This movement was a bit more than Issun could handle and, once again, he purged. This time, over Amaterasu's side, almost on her. The fear of being soiled by Issun's halfway digested lunch was enough to make her slow to a very smooth walk.

Together, they went through the entrance to the cave. Inside was a clear, calm spring which reflected a house almost perfectly on the other side. Issun only acknowledged the house with a grunt and laid forward on Amaterasu's back.

Amaterasu walked up the stairs to the front of the house, which was decorated on the outside with assorted animal bones. Anyone would have been apprehensive about entering this house, especially since it was the only curse free area in Agata Forest. Amaterasu didn't fear the house, though. She could smell no evil coming from inside of it. Even the fact that the door was wide open didn't bother her, she walked right in.

The inside of the house was creepier than the outside. More bones and strange dolls lay about the place in organized disarray. The house was lit by candles that shone an eerie light over the walls.

Amaterasu stopped at a table at the far end of the small house. A figure rose from behind the table, hidden in the shadows that the candle light could not reach. The figure was oddly shaped and seemed to have horns and a hunched back. It spoke in a distant, raspy voice.

"White wolf, I knew that you would come. I saw it in the bones…" The figure said.

Issun didn't remember going to sleep, but he did remember a lot of pain. When he opened his eyes, his headache had subsided and he felt better, though very tired. He was covered in a blanket… on a mat… on the floor… of an unfamiliar and tiny room. That was Issun's step by step processing. He noticed that he had a very strange smelling bandage around his head next, it smelled of rotten eggs, mint, and feet.

The awful smell coming from his head was enough to waken him further to more cognizant of his surroundings. Where was Amaterasu? She wasn't in trouble, was she?

Issun sat up quickly and looked around, where was he?

Just then, the door slid open and a huge figure bounded into the room. The next thing Issun knew was that he was being tackled to the ground and covered by a slobbery tongue.

"Get off! Urg, I'm covered in wolf spit!" Issun tried to push Amaterasu off of him. Amaterasu got up and sat beside him as an old woman walked into the room too.

She was an older woman that might have been attractive in her time, but was really nothing more than a creepy old lady now. She wore a strange hat with a deer skull sitting upon it and looked for all the world the exact type of person to live alone in a creepy house in the forest.

"Your wolf brought you here to recover, you've been sleeping for about a day." The old woman said.

"A day?" Issun exclaimed. A day of laying around by a cursed zone couldn't mean good for him.

"You had a concussion and it needed to be treated. Thanks to my magic, you've made a quite speedy recovery!" The woman said cheerfully.

"…Thanks, but who are you and why do you live in the middle of nowhere?" Issun asked, petting Amaterasu's fur gratefully.

"I am Madame Fawn, reader of bones and teller of the future!" She said rather dramatically. "I live out in this forest to better commune with the gods and spirits of those passed so they will let me in on their secrets."

Issun knew better than to believe her. She was an old lady and might be delusional. He had seen many a fake prophet in his day too.

"You doubt my power, I see… well, it just so happens that I was informed of your coming here by the spirit of a very old man. He seems to claim that you are here for a reason and I am to give you a prophecy to aid on your journey. By the way the man was dressed, I would have to say that this man was a monk." Madame Fawn rattled casually.

"That old priest?" Issun exclaimed, looking at Amaterasu. She looked moderately shocked as well.

"Yes, I see you believe now." Madame Fawn smiled a less than toothy grin because she was missing several. "It was because of him that I knew to prepare for your coming and gather the things that you needed for your wounds."

"Plural? More than one wound?" All Issun knew about was the bandages on his head. _Wait, no… I feel itchy bandages-… _Issun froze and looked down his shirt, then his pants. Sure enough he was bandaged around the middle and on one of his thighs as well.

"Its not often that I have such a big, strong young swordsman in my home…" Madame Fawn winked mischievously. Issun went pale and was sure he would be sick. Never in his live had he ever wanted to take a bath more than he did now.

"I'm not really a swordsman, you see…" Issun began, hoping to deter Madame Fawn with the truth. "I'm actually an artist-"

"An artist?" Madame Fawn exclaimed. "Perhaps I could be your next muse."

Madame Fawn instantly went into a pose that she obviously thought alluring. Issun only found it horrifying and disturbing.

"I-I really don't know where I get my inspiration, it just comes to me." Issun thought of a quick excuse then decided to change the subject. "You said that you were going to give us a prediction or something?"

"Oh, yes! I had forgotten!" Madame Fawn quickly snapped back to her creepier self. "Yes… follow me into my chambers…"

Issun and Amaterasu followed Madame Fawn into an even smaller, creepier, and more dimly lit room. All kinds of frightening things were hanging from the wall. One object looked an awful lot like human toes strung onto a necklace. Issun hoped it was just the shadows playing tricks on him.

Madame Fawn grabbed a purple sack and untied it, pouring the bones of several creatures onto a table. Issun and Amaterasu sat on the pillows on the floor next to the table and watched as Madame Fawn stared at the bones for a long time.

"Hidden by evil, there is a secret cove that leads to a blocked wall. Behind the wall is the key to purifying this land and restoring the life that was lost. Look for the cove and you will find it."

"…Find what?" Issun asked. Amaterasu seemed to be in agreement with him.

"That's as far as the bones will let me go into this matter… white wolf, there is something here special for you." Madame Fawn said.

Amaterasu cocked her head and scooted on the pillow a bit closer to the table to sniff the bones. They smelled quite good…

"Ah, ah, ah!" Madame Fawn yelled just as Amaterasu was about to bite into one of the bigger ones. Amaterasu sat there with her mouth open for a second and then closed it, sitting back. If the old lady didn't want her to eat the bones, what did she mean that there was something special for her?

"He is coming to find you, now as I speak to you. He comes with a fire in his heart that has been burning for ages. That fire fuels his ambition to meet with you once more. Your paths will intersect sooner than you think or will want." Madame Fawn said mysteriously while moving her hand over the bones slowly.

"Who's coming to get Ammy?" Issun asked, nervous. His last run in with creatures that were after her didn't end well. This new guy sounded like trouble and Issun didn't like it.

"That's all the bones say. It will become clearer in time…" Madame Fawn said comfortingly. Then she paused. "There is a third path here… for you, artist."

"Yeah…?" Issun leaned forward a bit to get a better look at the bones. He hoped it wouldn't be bad news like Amaterasu's.

"I see a lovely maiden…" Madame Fawn began.

Issun perked up instantly and gave Madame Fawn a sideways look without moving his head. He tried not to look too interested. "I'm listening…"  
"I see a lovely maiden, her hair as silver as the moon… her eyes full of knowledge and wisdom. You will grow very close to this woman…" Madame Fawn continued.

"I'm liking the sound of this one…" Issun muttered to Amaterasu. Amaterasu just looked at him in confusion. She was unable to interpret the thought process of this particular young man.

"And there will be a grand marriage ceremony…" Madame Fawn said.

"Hot dang, I'm gunna get married?" Issun jumped up happily and grabbed Amaterasu by the face and hugged her. Amaterasu may not have been able to understand why Issun was so happy, but she could be happy with him. She wagged her tail excitedly while Issun danced around happily. "You can be the flower girl, okay Ammy?"

"Yes! And we will have so many children and be sooo close…!" Madame Fawn rattled.

Issun froze almost mid-jump. "…w-we?"

"Come on, big boy! I can hear those wedding bells ringing!" Madame Fawn reached out to hug Issun. If there was ever a time for Issun to be less than masculine, this was it. He let out a high pitched shriek and ran out of the house as fast as he could with Amaterasu at his heals and Madame Fawn chasing after them.


	5. Chapter 5

Why am I uploading another chapter in the same day? Well, the truth is, I have up to chapter fifteen done already… but on a slideshow so I can put pictures and music on it with cool graphics that only I'll ever end up seeing… BUT! I felt bad for going so long without uploading a chapter, I figured that I'd bribe my less than a handful of fans back into my favor by spoiling them! Enjoy! Not to beg for reviews, but I really thrive on feedback. Doesn't matter if you're telling me that I'm awesome or if I suck, I just need to know that there is a point to continue doing this stuff. Professional people have money that tells them "wow, I made over a million dollars today for these new Ouran High School Host Club t-shirts, the fans must really enjoy the show" but I'm hardly professional on a FANFICTION SITE where everything is stolen from a greater mind that made it up first… ahem, point is, I need feedback. Please don't be stingy. Do it for the hungry orphans.

While Amaterasu walked along the shoreline, looking for the cove that Madame Fawn mentioned, Issun sat (brooding and obviously permanently scarred from the encounter) on her back. He shivered when he thought about Madame Fawn's face and gagged a bit. This might actually be it, Issun figured that there would be no way he could ever look at a woman ever again. Madame Fawn had driven him to the impossible, swearing off women for good. Issun never thought he would ever make that decision, but he also never thought that he would be sexually harassed by an old woman either.

"How yah doing, Ammy?" Issun asked, trying to get his mind off of the rut he was in.

Amaterasu grunted and stopped, looking around at the curse zone from the safe ledge on the lake that they followed to get to Madame Fawn's home.

"Not so great, huh?" Issun sighed, looking around at the curse zone.

"Hidden by the curse, she said…" Issun muttered. "All that's here is a curse! Look, even that waterfall's water is cursed."

Issun pointed to a waterfall that fell from the cliff wall into the Agata Forest lake. The water was a grey-green color and it foamed at the bottom of the falls in an unhealthy way.

"Its just discussing." Issun turned up his nose. While he moved his head, his eye caught something. There was an unnatural shadow behind the falls. "Hold on. What's that?"

Amaterasu ran over to the waterfall and they noticed a slippery rock path that lead behind the putrid water that cascaded from above. The path lead to the entrance of another cave.

"A cove hidden by the curse, this might be it! But watch your step, it looks slippery and I doubt this slimy water has done anything to improve that." Issun warned Amaterasu.

Amaterasu took a careful step forward, testing the slipperiness of the rocks. If she stepped a certain way, the chances of slipping would be much smaller… but there was something about the rocks that her instincts just told her not to trust. With a second, stiff step Amaterasu made her way across the stacked stones to the cove. Her instincts suddenly told her not to move so she froze.

"What's the matter, furball?" Issun asked, looking down at her.

Amaterasu nudged a large rock that was directly in her path with her foot. The rock slipped and then tumbled into the swirling current created by the falls.

"Whoa! Glad you caught that one or we might have been goners." Issun grimaced at the thundering water that slammed into the rocks and lake.

They didn't have any more trouble now that Amaterasu was more alert and looking for possible threats. She quickly changed course slightly to avoid any of the other loose rocks and soon they were safe on the solid ground of the cove.

It was dark and smelled faintly of decaying plant matter.

"Do you smell that…?" Issun asked, sniffing the air. "Smells like dead plant. What's up with dead plants, or any plants in a cave?"

Amaterasu sniffed the air and cocked her head. The smell was vaguely familiar like she knew what it was but couldn't quite remember where it came from or what its importance was. She walked forward, curious about the smell.

All Issun had to do was follow the sound of Amaterasu's sniffing until they saw a light in the distance.

"You think this leads outside of Agata?" Issun wondered aloud.

Suddenly, Issun and Amaterasu walked right into something very hard. Amaterasu yelped loudly at the pain on her nose and Issun cursed once.

"What the heck is going on here?" Issun exclaimed, the light was still so far away. He put his hand out in front of him and felt a very large rock blocking their path. He moved his hand up higher to the small crack where the light was coming from. What they had thought was an exit in the distance was really just a sliver of light between a rock and the ceiling.

Amaterasu pawed at the rock helplessly. She could still smell the scent through the crack and wanted very much to get through.

Amaterasu whined in response.

"In the legend when you fell, you must have hit your head or something because I have never seen anyone or anything as spacy as you." Issun sighed. "Stand back and let a master work."

Amaterasu took a few quick steps back. Issun was almost blind in the near nonexistent light but luckily, Amaterasu's eyes could cope with the dark so she could watch everything that Issun was doing. She sat a few feet away and wagged her tail expectantly. For a moment, she seemed to have a case of déjà vu as she watched Issun prepare for what he was about to do. It was like she knew what was going to happen somehow without being consciously aware of it. She shook the feeling by shaking her head and switching where she sat. Maybe it would be better to see what Issun was about to do from this angle. She swiftly forgot about the moment of insight she just experienced and began to wag her tail slowly again.

Issun drew Denkomaru from its hilt, _shhhing…!_ The sound of the metal echoed over the cave walls, confusing Amaterasu momentarily. When the echoes died down, Issun took a wide stance and lowered his head in order to focus. There was a sudden explosive rise in the spirit energy that flowed in and out of his body and with nearly blinding speed, Issun slashed at the rock. At first, it appeared as though nothing had happened. The rock remained unscratched and intact for a few short seconds, but just as Issun looked up, the top of the rock slid off at a perfect angle. He had cut the stone cleanly in half with almost no effort at all. Amaterasu wagged her tail and barked excitedly at his display.

"Not too bad, eh?" Issun bragged, putting his sword back in the sheath. "What would you expect but perfection from the magnificent Issun?"

Amaterasu barked again and pawed the ground.

"That was called the Powerslash technique. My grandpa taught it to me and it was taught to him by one of the greatest swords masters of all time." Issun looked back at Amaterasu and the sword that still hovered just on her back. "Since you've forgotten how to use you divine powers and you have a sword, I could teach it to you."

Amaterasu barked excitedly and wagged her tail furiously, making Issun smile.

"All you have to do is focus your Chi, or life force. You should know about Chi considering that you're a god and all… but just in case, just think of a mist of power that hangs over you like guilt hangs over a first time thief."

Amaterasu paused and cocked her head.

"Then, focus that energy into your blade, and then force it through whatever you wish to attack. Its dead useful for lots of things other than removing rocks and fighting enemies. A real pro doesn't even have to make contact with the object and his blade."

Amaterasu looked back at her sword and then stood up.

"You thinking about giving it a try?" Issun asked, a pompous grin on his face. "Well, don't be too upset if you can't do it on the first try. It takes some people YEARS to master it."  
The divine power that Amaterasu used to suspend her sword in mid air intensified as she stood on her hind legs, charging the energy around her into her blade. She then came down on all fours with enough power to create vibrations in the rocks all the way to Issun's feet. The glaive, still suspended in the air, slashed downwards. A shockwave of wind shot through the cave and sliced through the bottom, and most thick part of the rock Issun had cut in half. The rock sliced easily as if made of butter.

Issun stood stunned, his eyes wide, his hat askew and a few strands of his hair sticking out from the wind and the shock. He quickly fixed himself up and tried to look dignified despite his injured pride. He cleared his throat and tried to hide a foolish blush on his cheeks.

"Yes, well… it makes sense that you would do so well considering that you are a god and all…" Issun tried to sound smart like he knew this would happen all along.

Amaterasu, on the other hand, was completely clueless to Issun's embarrassment. The only things running through her head were along the lines of "I did good" and "I deserve praise". She looked over at Issun with an expectant and innocent expression that all dogs have when they perform a trick correctly and expect their masters to load praise on them. Despite his humiliation, Issun smiled a bit and gave her a quick pat on the head.

"You're pretty talented, furball. Maybe I'll stick around to pick up a technique or two." Issun said half jokingly.

The rock that Amaterasu and Issun cut began to glow in a calming light that seemed to also give them strength. From the rock burst forth the form of a large mouse, about the size of a large dog. It had the same patterns and swirls on its white and crimson coat as Amaterasu.

The mouse also had a sword tied to its belly. The mouse reached back and removed the sword, which was twice the length of its sheath, and swung it into the air once and then set the tip in the ground. It sat on the base of the hilt, balancing perfectly on the sword.

"Great goddess Amaterasu, greetings. I am Tachigami, the god of swordsmanship. I was once a part of you but, when you passed away from your battle, I and the other twelve gods and goddesses were separated from your body to preserve your divine abilities. Now that you are alive, you must retrieve them all or you will have no prayer in standing more than a minute against the forces of darkness. I will give you the power of Powerslash to use in your travels as you see fit. I wish you luck on your journey." The rat spoke before disappearing into the darkness.

"Tachigami, my grandpa told me about these gods like this. They were always rumored to be little parts of one whole. Now it makes more sense. You can't remember anything because nothing is in your furry head to remember. The more abilities we collect, more should come back to you." Issun said.

Amaterasu seemed to pause for a moment, as if trying to think which was quite profound for a wolf to do. The look in her eyes was one of faint concentration, as if she was trying to drag something out of the back of her memory.

"Hey, space case! Wake up. We have a job to do. We gotta check out this place and then head out to look for the rest of your techniques." Issun smacked her on the back of the head.

The hit to her skull seemed to rattle her for a moment, but then she just wagged her tail again.

"Maybe I should call you furBRAIN." Issun shook his head and hopped onto her back and they continued into a much lighter section of the cave. There were holes all over in the ceiling that let in the sunlight in patches that littered the flood and made rays in the musty air. Droplets of water could be heard hitting the floor and echoing through the cave. Despite the curse just outside, it was a quite peaceful place to be. There was something that troubled the two of them, though.

Amaterasu was a bit more distracted than she was usually. It was easy to tell that she wasn't taking in her surroundings like most natural predators would no matter the situation. She had a quick flash back to the crimson flower back in the forest but that was all the farther she could strain her mind to go.

Issun was less comforted in his thoughts. If Amaterasu couldn't remember any of her abilities, what else couldn't she remember? When this was all said and done, would she remember a home to go back to? He found this all very troubling. What would happen to her at the end? He couldn't help but think of the wolf's welfare, he felt connected to her somehow.

"Hey, Ammy. Can't you remember anything about your past, like where you come from?" Issun asked.

Amaterasu cocked her head in confusion, as if the question hadn't even registered. Issun sighed, maybe she was just stupid.

The duo finally made their way into a hole in the canyon. They were standing in a circular area that opened up to the sky about at the height of the cave ceiling. In the clearing was a small tree, its leaves withered and its branches dead. Some things had taken to living in its rotting core.

"Poor thing… looks like it went through quite an ordeal. I wonder what happened, trees just don't drop dead all of a sudden and the curse zone doesn't reach this far." Issun jumped off of her back looked around for the possible cause of death. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that this tree was special. He always listened to the back of his mind, his swordsman instincts were usually dead on.

Amaterasu sniffed the tree carefully from all angles.

"Maybe it had a parasite infestation…" Issun looked back at Amaterasu and, to his horror, she was lifting her leg at the tree.

"BAD WOLF!" Issun shouted at her.

Amaterasu put her leg down and scurried over to the far side of the natural room. She stuck her tail between her legs and laid as low as possible to display submission to Issun.

"Don't just wiz on it, this tree is special. I can feel it." Issun began to get a bit distant in thought, making Amaterasu think she wasn't in trouble anymore. She stood up slowly but Issun's glare shot at her again and she resumed her stance. "You're a girl wolf GODDESS, why in the world would you have to mark any territory?"

After a few minutes of scolding from Issun, she snuck back over to the tree as if she believed that Issun wouldn't notice her huge, white form disappear to the other side in order to hide from him.

"Humph…! Now… let me just figure this one out here…" Issun circled the tree, done yelling at Amaterasu, although she didn't know it. She skittered around to the other side whenever Issun came to close, neglecting to notice that he wasn't paying attention to her at all.

"What did that crazy old freak say again…?" Issun muttered.

Issun wracked his brain to remember the exact details. "Something about being a key… but what the heck does that mean?"

In his frustration, he leaned against the wall and glared at the tree. A tiny bit of the wall crumbled away, surprising Issun. He took a step back and noticed that, behind a small layer of dust, there was something carved into the wall. He used his hand to brush the dirt away and reveled a small mural that depicted a magnificent tree in a cove and a healthy forest. Strange runes of which Issun had never seen before surrounded the picture. He tilted his head to try and make sense of them but changing the angle of optics did not help.

"I wish I knew what this said…" Issun muttered. "Ammy, come here!"

Amaterasu looked up at him in a very alert fashion, determined to make him happy with her again. She trotted over to his side.

"Take a look at this… Since I'm an artist, I'm going to go ahead and guess that whoever made this is trying to convey that when this tree is healthy, the forest is healthy and strong although their style and vision is quite lacking. That might be why this entire area was cursed so easily, the tree is dead." Issun informed her.

Amaterasu licked the picture of the tree and then stared at it for a long time, as if expecting something to happen.

"Do you know anything about making things grow? Can you remember if that was in your arsenal of godly techniques?" Issun asked her.

Amaterasu whined and growled.

"Jeez… this is one heck of a riddle… what could possibly bring this tree to life?"

Amaterasu walked back over to the tree and sniffed it again.

"Don't do it, Furball…" Issun warned, thinking she was going to empty her bladder on the tree. Amaterasu did not. Instead, she sniffed the tree harder. She knew that smell. And for the first time in a while, she knew from where. Her tail wagged excitedly.

"What is it now?" Issun asked, looking back at her. "Do you have an idea?"

Amaterasu barked and went over to him, pawing at the ground excitedly as her whole body shook with her tail wagging.

"Well, lets see it." Issun said, climbing into her back. Amaterasu immediately shout off through the cave exit and down the lakeside path.

"Where do yah think you're going?" Issun shouted. He had to cling to his hat to keep it from blowing off of his head. "The tree is back that way!"

Amaterasu ignored Issun and kept running until they were on the path that snaked around the side of the canyon wall to the cave.

"Turn back, Ammy! You're going the wrong way!" Issun pulled on the fur of her back, trying to steer her back in the appropriate direction.

Amaterasu barked back at him.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Issun asked, looking down at her. Amaterasu let out a single resolute bark.

"…alright, I'll trust your judgment this time." Issun went back to clinging to his hat, letting Amaterasu run even faster than the wind through the cave and out into the open on the other side. Issun couldn't help but doubt Amaterasu's judgment. He didn't know what was going on in her head and their short time together had given him good reason not to trust her all the way through. It wasn't like he had a choice this time; he would just have to go along and pray (ironically) that everything would work.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, its been an eternity but I finally started to think that I should probably get what I have uploaded here. I might come back to it in the future but if I don't, I'll be sure to get out a summary to finish up what I didn't so people who were interested could hear how I planned this entire thing to go. Who knows? Maybe I'll get back into it in about six months. I wish my cat didn't have to lay on my hand every time I work on the computer, it pisses me off so much…

After two straight days of traveling, Issun began to get grumpy. Sure, they were traveling much faster than Issun would on foot but…

"Oh my gods, Ammy. My butt hurts from sitting on your spine for two days. Lets take a break…" Issun complained loudly.

Amaterasu whined. She didn't want a break, she wanted to keep going.

"You may not be tired, but I am. I have limits, you know! I'm not a god." Issun hopped off of her back, mid-run, and laid down in the grass. Amaterasu stopped and walked over to him, licking and nudging him with her cold, wet nose to get up again.

"Not a chance, furball. I'm staying here until all the pain goes away." Issun said adamantly. Making matters worse, Issun's head was starting to throb lightly from being jarred around on Amaterasu's back. He knew that he should have rested a bit before heading out with Amaterasu, but he would give up a leg before he stayed at Madame Fawn's house for any reason.

Amaterasu grabbed the leg of his pants and tried to drag him to their destination.

"What are you doing?" Issun shouted, holding onto his pants so she didn't pull them right off. "Let me go, ya psychotic wolf!"

Amaterasu gave him one big tug and dragged him over the grass further.

"I told ya, I'm not going! I need a break!" Issun shook himself free of the wolf's jaws and crawled back to where he was laying before. "You should rest too, Ammy. You've been at it for a while. Even gods need a break sometimes."

Amaterasu whined and sat down hesitantly.

"There you go." Issun pulled his hat over his eyes and lay still. He was fully aware of the fact that Amaterasu was watching him expectantly, but he wasn't going to give in. His people were notoriously stubborn and he was even more so.

After a while, Amaterasu grew tired of watching for Issun to get back up. She laid down beside him, curling close to his side for companionship and warmth. The two rested peacefully for about an hour until a traveling merchant passed by.

"Excuse me, sir…" The merchant prodded Issun's now sleeping body to make sure that the large wolf had not done him in. "Are you alright?"  
Issun grunted and lifted his hat groggily. "Whossere…?"

"Just a traveling merchant, sir. I saw you just off the rode and wanted to make sure you were alright. There are a lot of monsters running around lately, especially in Kusa Village, Kamiki village, and the capital."

"The capital? Sei-an city?" Issun sat up, much more interested now.

"Yes. They are having some troubles with very difficult demons. I've heard that they are much more powerful than any human that's ever walked this earth…" The merchant said nervously.

"Don't sweat it! Ammy and I are on something of a grand monster extermination. None of these big baddies with stick around for long once we find them." Issun said confidently.

"I see…" The merchant said, not exactly sure if he should trust the word of a young man and a large wolf.

"That's a pretty spirit wolf you have there, nice white fur." The merchant said to change the subject.

Issun paused for a moment, the man must not be able to see Amaterasu's true divine form. People had a habit of ignoring or not recognizing divinity at work.

"Yeah, she's something else." Issun scratched Amaterasu's snout.

"Spirit wolves come from the ancient forest in the center of Nippon, don't they?" The merchant asked. "I hear all the animals there have grown to very large sizes from feeding on the plants blessed by the power of the gods… but I've also heard that they aren't too bright for some reason."

Issun looked over at Amaterasu. He was usually good at talking with and understanding animals but every time he looked at her, there was nothing but a big blank.

"Yeah, that would explain a lot." Issun muttered to the merchant. Amaterasu growled a bit at Issun.

"Business has been really poor lately. Lots of trading has been shut down due to monsters an natural disasters…" The merchant coughed.

_So that's what he was up to this entire time… greedy little slime ball._ Issun thought to himself, his face falling in disapproval.

"I don't suppose that I could interest you in some of my merchandise…?" The merchant asked slowly.

Issun heaved a large sigh. "Fine… we'll take a look."

The merchant eagerly opened the large basket on his back and pulled out his wares. Nothing seemed too interesting to Issun, all of it was unnecessary for their travels. You can only take with you what you can carry when you lived life as a nomad. The merchant, however, found something that caught his attention.

When Issun leaned forward to look at all of his things, a necklace slipped out of his shirt. It was a strange blue fang with strange markings on it and a purple tip.

"You have a monster fang!" The merchant grabbed the necklace to get a better look at it while it was still on Issun's neck.

Issun had a moment of panic. He snatched the necklace out of the merchant's hands and held it protectively to his chest.

"Its not for sale!" Issun took a step back. Amaterasu lifted her head curiously and inclined it in Issun's direction.

"With the increase in monsters, there is a larger amount of monster fangs and, equal to that, more collectors." The merchant eyed the fang clasped in Issun's hand greedily.

"Collectors?" Issun stuffed the fang back down his shirt while Amaterasu tried to stick her nose down it to sniff the fang. He pushed her away but she was determined to get a good smell.

"Although monster fangs represent evil, many have become infatuated with them. They see the fangs as a symbol of power and some will pay ANYTHING to get their hands on them… There are even some ways to turn the evil imbedded in them into good luck charms or magical artifacts with mysterious power, but the art of doing so is said to be dead." The merchant explained.

"…You don't say…" Issun commented nervously, clasping his hand over his shirt where the monster fang was hidden. Amaterasu cocked her head at Issun.

"Well, I guess we now have an easy way to get money." Issun smiled mischievously at Amaterasu.

"There is a certain way that you have to extract monster fangs or they will lose quality." The merchant explained.

"What?" Issun exclaimed. "You mean we can't just smash them out of their faces?"

The merchant shook his head. "They might break."

"Then how do you get them out?" Issun asked.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be a merchant anymore…" The merchant sighed distantly.

"Well, after you're done goofing off there, we have to head back to Agata Forest to restore the place. That merchant also mentioned problems with the Kusa village, Kamiki Village, and Sei-an City so we should go to one of those three next. If we're lucky, we might be able to find a few more of your techniques." Issun said. Amaterasu seemed to agree with this plan of action.

Issun jumped onto Amaterasu's back. Amaterasu looked back at him questioningly.

"Well, with all this evil going on it would be selfish of me to postpone the work of a god. I'm better now anyway." Issun patted her on the head. "Lets get going."

And, with that, Amaterasu and Issun continued further on their way to the Ancient Forest, unaware of the secrets that they would uncover once there.


	7. Chapter 7

No point in making you guys wait for the next chapter. Heck, I'm bored enough at the moment. When I get caught up, I might reread all of it myself and see where I stand as far as the story goes. Maybe I'll write more, I probably won't though. But I will work on that summary! Oh, I played a bit of Okamiden… does it get better? Because it sucks so far, I'm massively disappointed in the game.

After another day's worth of travel, Amaterasu and Issun finally made it to the Ancient Forest, hence dubbed due to the fact that it had changed very little over the course of many centuries. The trees and plants in the forest had the time and the resources to grow, undisturbed and reached incredible size, as well did some of the animals that lived deep within the forest's heart.

Although the forest was a place of peace, Issun felt nervous to enter. Like most travelers, he did not want to disturb the peace there. It seemed sacred.

Amaterasu, fearless as ever, trudged ahead through the trees along the path. There were two paths; the larger one that cut around the forest and the smaller one that went right through. The smaller path was quicker but no one traveled on it. It was said that the forest itself was alive and, to guard its secrets, it would lead people astray. Some were never seen again.

"You sure about this, furball?" Issun asked.

Amaterasu barked reassuringly and followed the path.

The trees and plants increased in size the further in they went. The sounds of animals grew closer as they pressed onward. Issun became increasingly aware of eyes watching him from just out of sight.

It was about noon before Amaterasu stopped running at the base of a gigantic tree.

"That's incredible; I've never seen something alive get this big in my life! It must be the size of a mountain!" Issun exclaimed, craning his bead back to try and get the full picture. Amaterasu ignored the tree for the time being and walked over to a shrine nearby with a statue of a spirit wolf.

"Hey, that thing looks like you." Issun commented before getting off of Amaterasu's back. He walked over to the shrine and picked up a red flower that was wilting a bit. "Pretty meager offerings, if you ask me."

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you, they were given to the goddess from the most devoted and loving heart." An echoing voice floated on the breeze.

"Who said that?" Issun looked around, the flower still in his hand. Amaterasu also perked her ears up and tried to locate the voice.

"I did." A beautiful woman materialized from the center of the tree. She had peachy skin and a pink kimono that showed off her nice figure.

Issun stared at her, awestruck for a very long time before a huge grin spread across his face. _Screw never talking to girls again!_

"Hey, there. My name's Issun." Issun introduced himself. "What's your name, sweetness?"

"I am Sakuya, the guardian sprite of the Ancient Forest." The woman spoke.

"That's nice…" Issun said, staring in her general chest area. Lucky for him, she didn't notice him. She was focused with Amaterasu.

"Amaterasu, please forgive me for sending you off without preparing you at all. My power was too weak and so was yours. Now that you have gained back a tiny fraction of your strength, you should be able to revive the Guardian Sapling in Agata Forest to lift the curse." Sakuya said, petting Amaterasu on the head.

"Wait, you sent Amaterasu to Agata Forest knowing full well she wouldn't be able to do anything there?" Issun asked in mild annoyance.

"I did not send her to Agata Forest, I sent her to get some of her divine power back. Once retrieved, she would be able to track down cursed zones." Sakuya explained. "She smelled my scent on the dead Guardian Sapling of Agata Forest and then returned to me."

"So you're saying you know how to fix that, eh sweetness?" Issun asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but I don't have the strength. True, all Guardian Saplings are essentially parts of me, but some are spread too far out into places that I no longer have power over. Only the goddess, Amaterasu, has the power to do such a task." Sakuya said.

"I hate to disappoint pretty women, but we ended up coming here because Ammy DIDN'T have that power." Issun told her, Amaterasu emphasizing what Issun just said with a bark.

"She does not have that power now, but I've been guarding it for some time now for her return." Sakuya explained.

"So with that power we can revive the tree in Agata Forest and remove the curse?" Issun exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes and the others that are scattered over Nippon. Demons have been attacking them in order to reduce the power of the earth, but if you restore them, I will be able to aid you in your journey to restore the earth and rid this world of evil." Sakuya said to the duo.

"Don't worry you're pretty little head, the great Issun will take good care of you." Issun winked to her.

A large shoulder bag materialized out of thin air at Sakuya's side and then floated down to Amaterasu.

"This is your Astral Pouch, the infinite storage for all things that you will need on your quest. Within it are a few basic supplies and your power to regenerate the land to its healthy state. May the fresh scent of flowers protect you?" Sauna said as she faded into a wind of flower petals.

"Whoa, momma. That was one sexy babe." Issun commented. "I can't wait to see how she rewards us for a job well done!"

Issun gave an almost lecherous laugh. Amaterasu cocked her head and gave a curious sound.

"Anyway, we should make out way back to Agata Forest as fast as we can, we don't want to keep Sakuya or that Guardian Sapling waiting for too long." Issun said, hopping up on Amaterasu's back and helping to fit the pouch around her shoulder considering she had no opposable thumbs to do it herself.

"Let's just take a look in this thing, shall we?" Issun asked as he opened the pouch. Something suddenly burst forth from the pouch, nearly causing Issun to fall. Out of the bag shot a glowing ball and from the glowing ball formed a human sized monkey. Much like Amaterasu, the monkey was white and had colorations of crimson on its fur. It also bore the wisps of fur on its shoulder and wrists and ankles.

"Greetings, Amaterasu. I am Hamagami, god of flora. It has been a long time since I have seen you but it is comforting to know that our power will once again be one. With my power, you can control the living plants around you and give new life to ones that are dead. The technique is dubbed Greensprout and I trust that you will use this power well." Hamagami said before disappearing.

"That sounds pretty awesome; I'd like to see that in action. Why don't you try it on something… like this?" Issun picked up the wilted red flower that was lying before the shrine.

The sight of the dead flower caused something inside of Amaterasu to stir, a feeling that she could not understand. That flower held some importance, her instincts screamed that fact in her head but her mind willed her not to remember what its importance was. She shook her head to get rid of the feeling and then touched her nose to the flower, her ears twitching in annoyance with the familiar feeling that kept tingling through her like an itch. With her touch, the flower regained its color and it perked up again to become as beautiful, if not more so than the day it was picked.

"Alright! Good job, Ammy! That was just a tiny little thing but I'm sure that you can master this by the time we get back. If you could do it a hundred years ago, it shouldn't take too long to figure out." Issun said, tossing the flower over his shoulder. Amaterasu grunted in surprise and ran to the spot where the flower hit the earth. She picked it up very carefully.

"What, you want to keep it?" Issun asked her.

Amaterasu wagged her tail in reply.

"Alright. I suppose even girl wolf gods like flowers too." Issun shrugged and opened the Astral Pouch for her. "Go ahead and stick it in here, then."

Amaterasu stuck the flower into the infinity that was the Astral Pouch and then barked at Issun.

"I know, I haven't forgotten about Agata Forest." Issun jumped back on top of her. "Let's head out to save the world."


	8. Chapter 8

This was one of my favorite chapters, you'll see why…

Issun had forgotten what awaited him back at Agata Forest so when he saw her standing on the beach wearing a ceremonial wedding kimono he almost screamed.

"The spirits told me that you would return for me!" Madame Fawn danced her way over to Issun.

"The spirits LIED to you!" Issun shouted and pulled at Amaterasu's fur. "Hurry up and run!"

Amaterasu sensed no immediate danger from Madame Fawn so she just looked back at Issun.

"Gah! You worthless-!" Issun began to say but talking took too much precious time. With superhuman strength, Issun stood up on Amaterasu's back and launched himself onto a low tree branch. This was no small feat as all the trees were straight, tall trees and the branches placed fairly high. Amaterasu stared up at him in shock.

"I knew that you weren't entirely human, the spirits informed me!" Madame Fawn shouted up to him, as if believing that her knowledge would cause him to like her more.

"What are you talking about, I'm perfectly human!" Issun shouted down at her.

"Not many humans can jump that high." Madame Fawn said, standing beside Amaterasu.

Amaterasu looked at Madame Fawn then up at Issun again. He didn't look like he would be coming down from the tree for a while.

Suddenly, Madame Fawn's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell over onto the ground.

"Whoa… did she die?" Issun leaned out of the tree a bit, feeling slightly guilty that the last thing that the old woman had to feel was rejection… but he would have never married her even if she did know.

Amaterasu sniffed her while Issun climbed down out of the tree and stood slightly off from Madame Fawn's side.

"I almost feel kinda bad for her." Issun said slowly.

Just then, Madame Fawn sprung to her feet looking elated.

"What the-?" Issun jumped behind Amaterasu for protection.

"A great power has entered the forest, I must be off." Madame Fawn said as she scurried off in the opposite direction.

"Wait, what was that just now?" Issun shouted after her. "Aw well, it's not like we wanted her to stick around anyway. We have a job to do, remember?"

Amaterasu grunted and headed down the path.

"I can't wait to see this new power in action." Issun leaned forward on her neck, smiling his huge faced smile.

Together they entered the cave, walked through the cavern, and entered the room that opened to the sky. Everything within it was exactly how they had left it, dead tree and everything.

"Well, go on." Issun jumped off of Amaterasu's back and stepped away to give her enough room. Amaterasu walked up to the tree and closed her eyes before touching her nose to its dead and flakey bark. A pulse of green rippled through the tree at her touch, then a second. Suddenly, the tree shot back to life and new branches grew out from its trunk. One of the branches flew out and caught Amaterasu and Issun under the stomach and grew into the sky with them on it. The tree strengthened and then grew above the hole that it was stuck in, lifting them to the clouds. They saw the green pulse reverberate and disappear into the ground by the base of the tree.

Immediately a wave of green plants and beautiful flowers shot up from the ground, washing through the cave and through the rest of the forest. Issun stood up on the branch, laughing in glee and pride as the green spread to the trees in the forest to make their leaves grow. He threw his hands up into the air and let out a whoop as the green plants pushed the cursed zone off and it dissolved into thin air. Even the water purified itself again. The forest seemed to glow with the new strength that it found in Amaterasu's divine power and the peaceful calm fell over the glowing forest.

"The place looks beautiful again! Just look at it!" Issun laughed, hugging Amaterasu around the neck. "What an adrenaline rush!"

Amaterasu looked quite pleased with herself, throwing her snout into the air.

"Don't go getting a swelled head, this is just one forest." Issun said. "There are many other places that need our help and you still need the rest of your powers."

Issun looked over the new Agata Forest. "Still, I have to admit this is a better first step forward than I was hoping for. Not bad for a big furball."

Amaterasu barked then looked at the ground, trying to find the best way to jump down.

Issun hopped out of the tree effortlessly and landed on the ground with a thump on the fresh grass. Everything looked so fresh like after a good rainstorm and the smell was so pure. It almost reminded him of home.

"Well, come on! Let's do a bit of exploring. We might be able to find something of interest in here and the Tsuta Ruins are always interesting to look at. Plus, we really should try to find what made a cursed zone this big and kick its ugly butt." Issun called up to her.

Amaterasu hopped out of the tree awkwardly, not having the skills to climb a tree as gracefully as a squirrel. She seemed much happier on the ground.

Issun crawled onto her back and they set off though the cave and to the beautifully clear waterfall.

"This waterfall goes underground at one point and it filters out anything gross in it so that's why it's so pure. I've also heard that its really good for you, we should stop for a lunch break here." Issun advised.

Amaterasu was happy to oblige once they reached the other side of the lake along the beach. Issun took out his bag where his scant supplies were kept. They had a meager lunch but they didn't mind. They were too distracted by the sights and the sounds of the forest to pay attention to eating. Amaterasu's ears kept twitching towards every sound and her head swiveled around almost every minute.

"Lots of people don't like it here because it's moderately dangerous… but it's actually quite pretty here. I don't think anything will hurt us now that we helped bring it back, though." Issun said, pulling his hat down and resting against a rock that was just in the rays of the warm sun.

Something unnatural broke the routine sounds of the forest. The soft and pure sound of a flute floated on the breeze.

"What's that, a flute?" Issun asked almost stupidly. "Where is it coming from?"

An unfamiliar voice followed the sound of the flute. It was a male voice, though refined and carrying a hint of an unknown accent.

"Hark! The call of the heavens, the earth the sea…" The voice began. Amaterasu and Issun looked around until they found a figure perched in the top of a nearby tree. "They summon me forth to defeat evil!"

Issun stared up at the figure, incredibly confused. He seemed to be wearing a pink kimono and a purple hakama. He had a hawk-head helmet over his head with a veil shaped like wings.

"Ushiwaka! God's gift to man is here, bonjour!" The figure said.

With that comment, Issun could tell that he would not like this newcomer very much. Amaterasu stared up at him, her head constantly tilting from one side to the other like a dog that is bothered by a very strange sound.

"Who do you think you are, you narcissist?" Issun shouted up at him.

"Temper, temper young one." The man looked down from his perch, crossing his arms. "One who is prone to anger is predisposed to fighting. This is not becoming of a swordsman, even at your age."

This set Issun off even further. This man couldn't be much over the age of twenty five and he was talking down on him, figuratively and literally.

"You want to see a real temper, come down here and face me like a real man!" Issun shouted up at him, drawing his sword and readying himself for battle.

The man smiled a small smile and leapt from the tree, performing a perfect headfirst spin in mid-air and defying gravity by slowing just before hitting the lake surface. His landing caused barely a ripple in the still water. As he touched down, a wave of sparkling light appeared then faded around him. Issun knew that this was a sign of power but, with this effeminate man…

"It's been quite a while, has it not Amaterasu?" The man, Ushiwaka as he called himself.

"You know Ammy?" Issun asked him, mildly surprised.

"You have done well with reviving this forest to its former glory… but I am disappointed to say that, for you, the display was less than spectacular…" Ushiwaka said with a light sigh.

"Less than-WHAT? Are you kidding me? We did amazing!" Issun shouted back at Ushiwaka.

"Forgive me, but I do not recall seeing you do anything to assist." Ushiwaka said in a kind, but somehow incredibly stinging voice.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Issun raised his sword to Ushiwaka's face.

"Do not be so rash and foolish to confront me, head on." Ushiwaka warned.

"I'll take my chances." Issun snapped, taking a good running slash at Ushiwaka. In less than an instant, Ushiwaka jumped out of the way.

"Rage should never be your reason to fight; it clouds your vision and judgment, making you vulnerable to enemy attacks." Ushiwaka explained, pulling his sword out of his scabbard and pointed at Issun's back. "I did not come to fight you; I came to speak with Amaterasu."

"You've got some nerve, then!" Issun said. "Picking fights with people like that…"

"Excuzes-moi, but you I did start this fight." Ushiwaka put his sword back into his scabbard and turned his back to the two of them.

"For many years, I have been searching for you, Amaterasu. The world has grown dark in your absence and to fight it alone would be suicide. The old legends are returning to life, but my visions do not reveal their purpose." Ushiwaka said, stepping across the water on the lake.

"What do you mean visions?" Issun asked him grumpily.

"I have been blessed with the rare gift of clairovyancy, I can see things that shall come to pass. That is how I knew where to find you here in Agata Forest. I waited for you here, concealing my power until you removed the cursed zone." Ushiwaka explained.

"If you were here all along, why didn't you bother to help out this place? Unless you were the one who put the cursed zone here!" Issun concluded.

"A wise prediction, however incorrect. I merely wanted a taste of your power, ma cherie, but it was quite a disappointment. One hundred years must not have been to kind to you if there is such a gap in power between you from legends and now." Ushiwaka said with a calm but playful sort of tone.

Amaterasu now took offence. She crouched close to the ground and growled deeply, the hair on her back standing on end. This man seemed familiar, her nose told her so but he only registered as a threat at the moment.

"There's a fire in your eyes, I quite like it." Ushiwaka smiled, pulling out his flute once more. He spun it around in his hand and then with the other, pressed it together. It collapsed to fit in one hand. Ushiwaka then traced the flute back out but instead of the flute; a glowing blade of light took its place. The flute had become sword. "Don't hold back. Ma cherie!"

GASP! Cliffhanger! Not really, I'm uploading the next chapter in just a few minutes. I love this chapter because Waka is my favorite character by far. He's so beautiful and dedicated to Amaterasu. Their relationship is so amazing and indescribable. I'm calling him Ushiwaka, like in the Japanese version of the game because that's his original name… and a friend says there's already another Waka out in the world so I can't use that even though it has already been published in America as such. Oh well… WAKA RULES!


	9. Chapter 9

"Kick this guy's butt, Ammy. He's no good, I can tell." Issun snorted.

Amaterasu was way ahead of Issun already. The sight of Ushiwaka's sword excited her and she was ready to test out her new strength. She let out a roaring snarl before making the first attack, launching into the air much higher than an ordinary wolf could. She flew right into the rays of the sun so only her outline was visible in the intense light. With her glaive raised with the celestial aura she manipulated with the movement of her body like a sixth appendage, Amaterasu struck down at Ushiwaka with terrifying force. If the blow connected, Issun knew that it would deal some serious damage.

Ushiwaka kept his unflappable smile as she drew closer, seemingly rooted to the spot. At the last second, his eyes angled in concentration that only a skilled swordsman would notice. Issun caught a glimpse in Ushiwaka's unreadable face and had a twinge of nervousness.

Not a millisecond before Amaterasu's glaive sliced through Ushiwaka's helm, he placed a hand on her head and used it to push himself in a jump right over Amaterasu's head, just barely missing the sharp blade. Ushiwaka did enjoy putting on a show and making things more dramatic than necessary. Unfortunately, he was good at it too.

"Damn…! He's quick…" Issun muttered angrily after cursing Ushiwaka out for being a show off.

Amaterasu spun around and slashed at Ushiwaka while in midair. _This one HAS to connect, he can't dodge in midair!_ Issun thought triumphantly. Ushiwaka, however, was about to impress them once again. As the blue blade of Amaterasu's divine instrument came his way, he kicked the tip with his sandal in just the right angle. The sword missed and the momentum from the blow sent Ushiwaka summersaulting through the air onto the opaque but still surface of the water. As he skidded to a stop on the top of the water, only a thin ripple from his movement was created.

Using magic wasn't unheard of and definitely wasn't hard for humans, many didn't have a reason to know it though. The only beings that bothered with its use were gods, spirits, fighters, some mercenaries, a few priests and exorcists, and powerful demons. Issun kept this in mind while he watched the fight progress further. He was impressed by Amaterasu's increase in skill and speed and, in a strange, angry way, by how Ushiwaka was keeping up so easily.

Ushiwaka pulled the sword from his scabbard and the glowing green one that came from his flute up to his head to block another downward strike from Amaterasu that might have hewn him in two. With all the power and grace Amaterasu used, Ushiwaka countered it with his own.

Amaterasu changed tactics. Brute force and agility wouldn't be enough to take down this foe. She leaped backwards to give her time for a more premeditated attack, trying to find a weakness in his defenses.

Taking the opportunity, Ushiwaka raised his normal sword in the air and a ring of fire burned from the ground and circled just above his head. From the flames materialized a burning sword. He moved his sword to point directly at Amaterasu and the sword shot at her like a speeding arrow.

"Look out, Ammy!" Issun called to her.

Amaterasu knew what to do out of her keen instinct. She raised her glaive and brought it down; performing an even more powerful Powerslash than Issun had seen her create before. The force was almost visible as it shot to counter Ushiwaka's sword. The Powerslash met Ushiwaka's burning sword in the air and knocked it spinning back at him. He just barely got out of its way, causing almost no ripples on the lake surface as he moved.

Amaterasu jumped over the lake to chase Ushiwaka. Issun admitted that this was hardly a good tactical move in the least. As far as Issun knew, Amaterasu couldn't walk on water like Ushiwaka could.

Issun hid his face in his hands, not wanting to watch the humiliating defeat that they were about to suffer at the hands of such a flamboyant man. _She's so stupid…!_

Amaterasu howled and let another even more powerful Powerslash lose over the surface of the lake where Ushiwaka was standing.

"Ah-!" Ushiwaka exclaimed, showing a bit of fear for the first time in the fight. He only just jumped out of the way to avoid the attack that hit the surface of the water, cleaving it in two and causing two large, thundering waves to nearly wash him away.

Issun had to admit, that last move was very nice to look at and incredibly powerful, but it had not connected with its target and Amaterasu was still over the water although the kickback of the attack had pushed her farther into the air. She was still doomed to loose. Issun didn't think he could take it.

The instant that Amaterasu's paws touched the water, a huge lily pad burst from the depths of the lake to support her weight on the water. The Greensprout technique was handy in fights too when used correctly.

Using the lily pads, Amaterasu pursued Ushiwaka to one of the small islands in the lake, lashing at him from all directions that she could reach. He dodged her every move easily, which only caused her to fight faster and push him back more.

"Stop running away and fight like a man!" Issun shouted angrily at him. Ushiwaka glanced in Issun's direction, but this was all Amaterasu needed. She stomped on the ground in front of Ushiwaka after landing on the island. A tree instantly shot out of the ground below Ushiwaka and it knocked him into the air and all the way to the shore of the lake on the other side.

Amaterasu snarled in satisfaction, sticking her nose off and doing a sort of wolf smirk.

"Ahahaha! That was a great hit, furball! Way to go!" Issun doubled over with laughter. Amaterasu barked and wagged her tail at Issun, pleased that he was pleased with her.

Ushiwaka struggled to his feet, holding the side of his chest where he suspected he might have a cracked rib or two. "Ah, how clumsy of me to get distracted during a battle…"

"That's right! Not as awesome as you think you are, are you?" Issun crowed as if he had fought and won the battle himself.

"Still, I can't say that I'm impressed. It was a rather clumsy attempt at a battle, especially for you, Amaterasu." Ushiwaka said.

"Whaddaya mean, clumsy? She kicked your butt!" Issun nearly screamed in outrage.

"The power that you possess has yet to reach its full potential." Ushiwaka said, a playful grin spreading across his face. "You still have a long way to go before you will stand a chance against the massing forces of darkness, baby."

"…Baby?" Issun repeated, raising an eyebrow while trying to keep a straight face. "Boy, buddy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had a thing for Ammy here."

Amaterasu cocked her head questioningly.

Issun had struck a nerve on Ushiwaka and a ripple of fury coursed through him for the blink of an eye. He quickly recomposed himself with an even bigger smile.

"You're rather short for a sixteen year old, are you not?" Ushiwaka commented.

Issun would have thought Ushiwaka's phrase to be out of context if it weren't such a slap across the face.

"I'm nineteen, thank you very much." Issun's face fell while he glared at Ushiwaka.

Amaterasu sensed danger swiftly approaching and fled behind a tree with her tail tucked tightly between her legs. Sparks flew from Ushiwaka's and Issun's eyes as a deep rivalry was born.

"Ah, escuzes-moi." Ushiwaka gave Issun a thickly patronizing apology bow. "I could not tell."

"You looking to die, you fruity half-baked prophet?" Issun screamed, much less composed in any way than Ushiwaka was. "I'll chop your head off with my sword, Denkomaru!"

"Tell me, small one, how would you reach it?" Ushiwaka asked in a cute but less than innocent way.

Issun's face went bright red and his eyes popped. Very few people were capable of infuriating Issun and that smile on Ushiwaka's face only made it worse.

Issun drew his sword and ran down the beach at Ushiwaka, screaming at the top of his lungs for the flamboyant man's blood. Before he made it too far, Amaterasu grabbed him by the back of his pants with her teeth and held him back.

"All fun and games aside, I came here for a reason and now I must depart for another. I would love to assist you but there are things that I need to take care of." Ushiwaka returned to a more formal and business like composure. His smile never entirely disappeared, though. Traces of it were still left on his face.

"Yeah right…" Issun muttered, prying his pants out of Amaterasu's mouth. "Coward."

"I will leave you with this." Ushiwaka said. He spun around once and posed for the two of them. "I foresee a tangled web of terror!"

Issun stared at Ushiwaka in astonishment, confusion, and disgust. "…what?"

"That's all I have for you. Au revoir, baby!" Ushiwaka said before jumping into the trees and disappearing.

"…What a FREAK! I mean, who the heck does he think he is?" Issun began to rattle off all of Ushiwaka's flaws.

Not listening to Issun, Amaterasu groaned and twitched her ears. There was an annoying buzzing sound that would not go away. It seemed as though her mind was trying to recall something but she could not bring it all the way up in her mind. In an attempt to get rid of the feeling, Amaterasu scratched her ear with her foot.

"…I was saying some time before that fruitcake came along, we should really check out the rest of the forest to make sure none of the curse stayed behind." Issun said, not sounding like he would return to his usual persona any time soon. Instead, he jumped onto Amaterasu's back and crossed his arms angrily.

The duo walked through the forest, following a path used by travelers and merchants. Soon, they came to where the path split to go out of Agata or further in. They chose the one that lead deeper into the heart of the forest. As the trees grew thicker and covered the sun, Issun began to understand why so many people felt a touch nervous about the place. Even Amaterasu seemed on edge as she swiveled her head around to each unknown sound.

They eventually came to a clearing that was nestled beside the cliff face near the exact opposite side of the forest that they had come from. Agata wasn't very big as far as forests usually go. Placed into the side of the cliff was a huge stone door. The vines that usually would have cradled the rock of the door had snapped and some were lying on the ground. Someone had pulled them off of the door for some reason.

"These are the Tsuta Ruins. There's stuff like this place all over Nippon but no one ever bothers with it. No one knows what they're for or why they were built or who built them." Issun shrugged, completely uninterested. He lay back on Amaterasu's fur to continue brooding about their encounter with Ushiwaka.

Amaterasu didn't catch Issun's hint about how the ruins were of no interest. Instead, she trotted right over and sniffed all over the door. Oh, the mix of thousands of different smells. There were two that she found familiar. One was the faint scent of Ushiwaka and the other was something she couldn't quite place. The scent had all but eroded away in the years that it had first been placed there.

"Leave it, Ammy! We can't get in anyway." Issun tried to pull on her fur to get her to move away from the door but she refused to budge. She was finding that, somehow, she liked the smell of Ushiwaka and kept her nose pressed directly on the spot that it was strongest. It was fresh too.

Issun hopped off of Amaterasu's back and tried to push her away himself but she was far too strong and refused to move an inch. While Issun struggled, the sound of an alarmed cry echoed through the forest. Amaterasu's head instantly shot up and pointed in the direction of the cry.

"Sounds like trouble!" Issun commented. He barely had enough time to climb back on Amaterasu before she ran off to locate the sound. They eventually came upon the lake shore again. To their right was a hut and in front of them was a very small and empty island. On the island stood a young boy. The boy wore an orange rabbit skin coat and a backpack with a strap running through his middle to support it. On his head rested a hat made from a rabbit, ears still attached. In his hand was a fishing pole with a snapped line.

"Hey, kid!" Issun cupped one hand over his mouth and called to the boy from the lake shore. "What's wrong, are you hurt?"

The boy looked up at them, his eyes and cheeks red from tears.

"Oh, jeez…" Issun muttered, feeling a bit awkward. He looked around for a way to get onto the island and join the boy. "There, by the hut. The water doesn't look too deep, let's try there."

Amaterasu waded through the water, which turned out to be two feet deep. It wasn't a problem for her at all, considering her size. She trotted up to the boy and sniffed his cheek.

"What's going on, kid?" Issun asked, climbing off of Amaterasu's back.

"Are you lonely too, doggie…?" the boy asked, hugging Amaterasu around the nose. Amaterasu didn't seem to mind.

"What happened?" Issun asked more persistently.

"Ume and I finally found the key to the ruins and we went inside… but when we heard this huge roar, I got scared and ran away as fast as I could! When I looked, Ume wasn't with me!" The kid said.

"Who's Ume?" Issun asked.

"My dog, I've had him forever! I think I might have left him in the ruins!" The boy looked close to tears.

"Then what the heck are you doing fishing? Get off your butt and get your dog!" Issun scolded.

"I'm trying too! But when I was running, I tripped and the key fell into the water! I've been trying to fish it out but my line broke! That was my very last hook! Now Ume's going to be trapped forever and it's all my fault!" The boy cried.

Issun instantly gave him a smart smack on the top of the head.

"Crying about it isn't going to bring him back, you have to take action!" Issun informed the boy. "What's your name?"

"Kokari…" the boy looked up at Issun with respect.

"Kokari… if you want something, you can't just sit around. Only you can make things happen."

"You're right! I have to save my dog!" Kokari shouted determinedly. "…but I still need a hook…"

Issun took his pack off and pulled a hook and some line out of it. "You never know what you might need on your travels."

"Oh wow! Thank you, sir!" Kokari took the fishing hook and line out of Issun's hands.

"My name's Issun, there's no need for 'sir'." Issun said bashfully. "But if you want, you could always call me Issun, the great and powerful-"

Amaterasu cut Issun off by sitting on his foot and licking his face.

"Knock it off, furball!" Issun pushed her face away but she was determined.

Kokari watched them for a moment, his eyes tearing up but his body filling with even stronger determination. He tied the line onto his pole and put the hook on; making sure everything was secured correctly. He put some bait on the hook and then tossed his line into the water.

"Look at that, he's going for it…" Issun smiled proudly as if Kokari's actions were all by his own actions. "Glad to see that the little crybaby is getting his act together."

Amaterasu ran to the edge of the lake, wanting to help too. She snapped and bit at the water, submerging her head completely into the murk while digging at the ground beneath the water.

"That's not helping, yam stupid furball!" Issun shouted, running over to her and grabbing her by the tail. He slowly pulled the unwilling wolf out of the lake. "You're scaring away off all the fish!"

Soon, it began to get dark and Kokari was getting discouraged once again. He was having no luck fishing out the key.

"What if I can't catch anything before it gets too dark!" Kokari panicked. "What if Ume has to stay in the ruins all night long?"

"Hey, kid. Calm down! Screaming and panicking never got anyone anywhere in life. Ume's a dog, his instincts will take over and he'll at least find a warm, safe spot to curl up and sleep in." Issun yawned. How long had it been since he had a good night's sleep again…?

"Yeah… I guess you're right…" Kokari said slowly, as if trying to convince himself. "Do you guys have a place to stay for the night?"

Issun stopped mid yawn. Honestly, needing a place to sleep never really ran though his mind. He was used to sleeping under the stars, but Agata Forest wasn't well known for its safe and peaceful nights. Sleeping outdoors was pushing their luck farther than Issun wanted to push it.

"You can stay at my place. We have more than enough food; I caught a lot of fish while I was looking for the key to the ruins." Kokari motioned to a woven basket that stood about at his waste that was overflowing with large fish. Issun was shocked to see that such a small boy could catch so many fish. Amaterasu seemed pleased enough; she wagged her tail and barked repeatedly at the basket.

"I think we'll stay with you…"

I loved the epic battle during this chapter and how Issun was doing what he does best; cheering from the sidelines and laying down the smack talk. He's such an idiot, gotta love him though!


	10. Chapter 10

Kokari brought Issun and Amaterasu to his hut on the lake shore. Issun had to help carry the basket because it was too heavy for Kokari to lift. When they made it to the hut, they were greeted by a very tall and wild looking man who introduced himself as Karude. He was dressed in a brown bear skin like his son's and he had a hat made from a whole bearskin as well. He was a thoroughly frightening man of the forest and he made Issun very uneasy. They soon found out that Karude was a very pleasant man when he welcomed them into his home with open arms.

The inside of the hut was much smaller that it appeared on the outside due to tools for hunting and gathering other food and things that one would need to have to live in a forest. Despite the lack of size, it was infinitely better than sleeping outside. It was warm and comfortable.

While Karude cooked, Kokari made the decision to go to bed without supper. He was too worried about Ume to eat. Amaterasu seemed to take pity on the boy and curled up next to him while he slept to keep him company. When the fish and rice were cooked, Issun set a plate down for Amaterasu to eat. He knew that someone with an appetite like hers would not appreciate a missed meal if she could help it. Karude poured Issun some sake while he sat back down by the fire.

"I worry about that boy sometimes…" Karude said quietly so he wouldn't wake Kokari. "Ever since we found Ume, he's gotten less responsible. All he ever used to do was dote after that dog. He never goes out and does anything excited; he's too worried about Ume getting hurt. He's lost his boyish sense of adventure completely… but now that he's run away, Kokari refuses to do anything but look after him."

Issun gathered that Kokari hadn't told his father what had really happened but, being something of a rebellious child in his day as well, he said nothing about the truth. He just sipped his sake quietly and thoughtfully.

"Maybe Ume ran away to escape from the curse." Karude wondered aloud.

"The curse?" Issun feigned innocence once more.

"The forest was cursed not too long ago. I wouldn't wonder if it went away just before you passed through. It had been progressing slowly but steadily through these trees in an attempt to swallow up everything." Karude explained.

"Why did it go away?" Issun asked. "Something with enough power to curse a forest just doesn't disappear…"

"The demons pulled it back, most likely. Only the gods know why they did or what they're planning by doing it." Karude muttered darkly.

Amaterasu raised her head from the fish at the word "gods". Issun tried discreetly to get her to go back to eating her fish in case Karude noticed.

"Days are indeed getting darker. I was going to go up to the capital to report everything to the new task force. The queen established it while the king was ill; they handle all kinds of problems that people have with monsters and curses, or at least they try to. These sorts of things have been on the rise and they don't have the power to deal with them… I hear that they'll be calling on the special task force any day now. That should put those monsters right."  
"Why go all the way up to the capital for the sake of a cursed zone that's gone now?" Issun asked, sipping more sake.

"It's not just the cursed zone. Very sinister things are going on in this forest and its putting every passing traveler at risk." Karude said. "The very few of us that call this place home can tell the difference between what's normal and abnormal here and avoid trouble, but the passing merchant wouldn't be so lucky," Karude said.'

"What's been going on?" Issun asked, itching with anticipation and excitement.

"Sometimes, when I go out early in the morning to find some breakfast, I find bodies by the Tsuta Ruins… Human bodies." Karude said slowly.

Issun and Amaterasu exchanged quick looks and then refocused on Krause's explanation.

"The number is increasing to the point that it has me deeply concerned. Sometimes there are pools of blood but no body at all… but the victims are always missing their heads." Karude explained.

"Their heads are gone?" Issun exclaimed. He looked back at Amaterasu excitedly. "Remember what the old dead monk said? I think we're on the right track here…"

Amaterasu woofed under her breath and wagged her tail. Things just got a bit more interesting.

"That spider queen hag won't have it so easy for much longer…" Issun grinned mischievously.

The next morning, Kokari awoke from his bed and looked around his home. His father had left already to visit the few people that lived in the forest and perhaps talk to a traveling merchant. Issun and the big white wolf weren't there either. Perhaps they had left already. Kokari was sad about this, he liked the two of them and they hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. He couldn't be bothered too much, though. He had to get back to work finding the key to save Ume. He grabbed his fishing pole and ran outside.

"Good morning, Kokari!" Issun called to him from the island happily. Kokari couldn't believe his eyes when he saw what they were doing. Issun had tied some string and a hook to Amaterasu's tail and had it sitting out in the water. Every time Amaterasu wagged her tail, which was quite frequently, the line would move and the bait would dance along the surface as if it were alive. The fish seemed to really like it because they already had a small pile of fish at their side.

"You guys are going to help me?" Kokari asked, his eyes tearing up again.

"Yeah! There are a lot of fish in this lake, a team is more efficient." Issun said with a smile… he wasn't really doing too much work.

Kokari nearly started to cry again. Issun's kindness was more than he could bear at the time. "Th-thank you both so much…!"

"Don't worry about it." Issun said nervously, not wanting to have to watch him cry again.

They fished into the high afternoon. The sun was directly over top of them and particularly hot today. Issun had retreated to a tree on the shoreline, physically exhausted from the heat and the labor. Kokari and Amaterasu kept at it.

"We should call it quits; I doubt the fish will want to bite in this hot weather…" Issun groaned.

"I can't give up now, Ume is counting on me!" Kokari said, as determined as ever. Amaterasu sat at his side, looking quite warm but she never looked like she was about to leave. She was losing some attention, though. She looked into the water and suddenly, as she stared intently at its surface, something tugged at Kokari's line.

"UH! I got something, it feels huge!" Kokari hung onto the pole and shouted. No matter how much he dug his feet into the dirt, whatever was pulling on the other side kept forcing him closer to the edge of the water. Amaterasu grabbed Kokari by the back of the shirt and tried to hold him on the shore.

"Hang on, kid!" Issun shouted while jumping to his feet and running through the water and grabbing Amaterasu's tail. "Don't let this one go!"

Kokari pulled the rod as hard as he could while the combined strength of Amaterasu and Issun dragged him and the line backwards. Suddenly, a huge fish broke the surface of the lake; it was as big if not bigger than Amaterasu herself.

"Gods in heaven…!" Issun exclaimed as the fish almost flew from the air. Amaterasu released Kokari and raised her blade to perform a small Powerslash. The hit from her technique shattered a few of the tough scales of the fish and left it stunned enough for them to haul it on land.

"I can't believe it… I did it!" Kokari exclaimed happily.

"Yup, you did. See what you can accomplish when you put your mind and spirit to something? Nothing can be accomplished when one's heart is not working with their head." Issun said, smiling at Kokari.

"Thank you, Issun." Kokari said with a bow, making Issun feel both immensely pleased with himself and slightly embarrassed.

Amaterasu barked and scratched at the inside of the fish's mouth with her paw eagerly.

"Don't do that, it might bite you." Issun gave her a light smack on the butt. Amaterasu stopped and flattened her ears apologetically.

Kokari leaned over and looked into the fish's mouth. "There's something in there."

"Can you pull it out?" Issun asked. Amaterasu cocked her head. She was just told off for messing around with the fish's mouth but Kokari was just asked to do it.

Kokari put his hand inside the fish's mouth and pulled out a teardrop shaped glass object as big as his own head. Inside the object was a symbol of a sun.

"I-it's the ruins key!" Kokari exclaimed.

Issun climbed onto Amaterasu's back just as she snatched the key out of Kokari's hands and ran.

"Where are you going-give that back! I need it to save Ume!" Kokari shouted as he ran after them, or tried to. He wasn't nearly fast enough to catch up with Amaterasu.

"Good work, Ammy. We can't let a kid get hurt on your watch. I hardly doubt that that spider witch would hesitate to take a good bite out of his flesh if they met up." Issun patted the side of her neck and hung on while she transported them to the ruins door. Issun climbed off of Amaterasu and took the key from her mouth. He inserted the key into the hole on the door and took a step back. A flash of light ran all the way up the crack between the doors and then disappeared when they began to open up.

"We're in." Issun grinned back at Amaterasu mischievously.

They entered the ruins. The first thing that met their eyes was a path that lead to a lake and a very strange statue that stood a mile tall. It looked like a strange monster of sorts. The statue stood on an island that stood out of the water a few feet on a bank. Water ran into a small cave by the stubby legs of the statue. The water, however, looked a very unhealthy shade of deep purple and gave off a smell of decay. The plants in the area looked very sick from the water.

"That's disgusting, look at that water. I doubt that lily pads will stay healthy in this…" Issun walked over to the lake shore. He had to cover his nose with his hand because the smell was so bad from up close. Amaterasu was having a very hard time with her sensitive nose. She kept scratching at her muzzle and whining.

"We should try to find the source of this crap as soon as possible, for everyone's sake…" Issun said.

Issun stood up and looked around for any way that they could head in. Along the small lake and across some dying tree roots was a tunnel entrance.

"That's our best bet, over there." Issun pointed to the tunnel. "It's not like we can go anywhere else…"

The two of them hurried into the tunnel. Through the short tunnel was a very empty room with dead plants littering the floor.

"This doesn't look anything like a curse, but I'm sure that something powerfully evil is behind this…" Issun knelt down and held up a dead flower. Amaterasu cocked her head at his unintentional display of compassion for nature. Something caught her eye; it was green and not dead. Above them, sitting on a ledge, was a very large pink blossom with healthy green leaves. It looked somewhat magical; due to the fact that it was the only living plant in the room and that it was giving off a faint glow in the dim room.

"What is it, Ammy?" Issun looked up at the blossom. "That thing reminds me of Sakuya somehow… it's the same shade of pink as her kimono."

Amaterasu suddenly grabbed ahold of Issun's pants. A green vine shot out from the blossom and wrapped itself around Amaterasu's middle, pulling her up on top of the blossom on the ledge. In front of them was a doorway that lead to some stairs.

"What the-…?" Issun exclaimed shakily, still in shock about the ride. "…Did your Greensprout power do that…?"

Amaterasu set Issun down and walked over to the stairs.

"I love our little conversations." Issun said sarcastically before following her.

They walked up the stairs and then came into a large room. In the far corner was a large flower bud with semi-clear leaves. Inside the exotic pink-ish bud was a glowing sphere.

Issun walked closer to it to get a good look. Suddenly, something lashed out and caught him on the side of the face, cutting his cheek open. He fell to the ground and rolled out of the way just as a muscular leg came down right where he had just been laying. The leg belonged to a creature that had a similar build as a turtle, the bud on its back with arms, legs and a head… but it was obviously more agile and humanistic than a turtle. It gave a ferocious roar while standing on its hind legs.

"Bud ogre…!" Issun jumped back to Amaterasu's side, drawing his sword and taking an attack stance similar to Amaterasu's. The bud Ogre roared again and the bud on its back opened slowly. The spherical fruit in the bud shot at them, and another grew. It was a rapid fire attack but Issun and Amaterasu were more than capable to counter it. Issun easily sliced the fruit in half when they came close to him, adding a bit of unneeded flare with a few jumps and spins.

Amaterasu charged up a Powerslash and aimed it just below the fruit. The shockwave of the attack sent the fruit back at the ogre, hitting it on the head. Stunned for a moment, the ogre swayed on its feet with its bud still opened. Issun ran over and slashed the beast's back, which he assumed was its weak point considering the bud that it used to protect itself. A splatter of green liquid and a roar told Issun that his hunch was correct.

Suddenly, the ogre reached behind itself and pulled off its thorny tail. At its tip was a spikey ball that looked quite menacing. Issun barely managed to dodge the ball as the ogre swung it around its ugly head and at Issun. The ogre swung it again, Issun back flipped to avoid the attack. He landed on his hands in a handstand and then used his feet to skid to a stop.

"This guy's tough…" Issun said, backing up to Amaterasu's side. Amaterasu had a go next. She dodged in between each swing of the creature's tail until she was right beside it. She swung her sword once and knocked the creature on its back. It struggled and shrieked loudly, unable to move or defend itself while Amaterasu hacked away at it. Finally, it used some momentum to give Amaterasu a kick square to the jaw. She went spiraling across the floor and the ogre rocked itself back onto its feet.

"We're going to have to take him together!" Issun shouted after Amaterasu, who looked very angry about being kicked in the face. She growled her agreement and prepared for attack. Their next move was planned almost telepathically. Somehow, the two could understand what they had to do just by exchanging glances with each other.

From opposite sides of the room, Amaterasu and Issun charged the beast, their swords ready for the kill. Not ready to give in to death, the creature swung its tail around again, thrashing it at Amaterasu and Issun. As the tail neared Issun's head, he bent backwards and went into a slide on the ground, never once losing concentration in his attack. Amaterasu launched clean over the whip and came at the creature from above. The bud on the ogre's back prevented it from being seriously wounded, until Amaterasu jerked her head backwards as if pulling on something with her mouth. In a burst of flower petals, the bud opened up, exposing the ogre's already wounded back.

With almost perfectly synchronized strikes, Amaterasu and Issun attacked. Once under the ogre, Issun stabbed his sword through its stomach while Amaterasu cleaved it from above. The affect was nothing short of spectacular and highly effective. The ogre stopped and fell to the ground, its body leaking green liquid. Issun put his sword back in its scabbard.

"Not too shabby." Issun said with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Amaterasu prodded the dead body of the ogre with her paw and sniffed at the green liquid that came out of its body while Issun looked around for further clues on what to do next. His mind was filled with questions that he wanted answers to as quickly as possible. _Why in the world was there a bud ogre just sitting up here? It was like it knew that we were coming, or like it had been sent here. How would anything in these ruins know that we're trying to get through? What is this place so desperate to hide? It's too much, I gotta know!_ Issun thought to himself.

"Furball!" Issun called back. Amaterasu looked up from the ogre corpse. "It's time to keep moving. There's something in here that doesn't want to be found. We should locate it as soon as possible!"

They left through a narrow hallway. It was dark, damp, and had an upward slant. They were heading up again, but had no idea where. All Issun had to guide him was the slimy walls that he was careful not to bump into. The scent of the slime told him that it might not be good for him to have it in direct contact with his skin.

Once they stepped out into the light, they found that they were inside the first room that they had walked in to, but they were on a ledge along the wall that overlooked the poison lake below. They were up much higher than Issun would have guessed. He leaned over the edge to get a better look, the damage to the ruins was much more apparent from this vantage point. All the plants were dead and the ruins themselves looked ready to fall over.

Issun whistled. "Dang… it looks worse up here."

Amaterasu grabbed Issun by the pants and pulled him back away from the ledge. He had not noticed but he had been progressively farther and farther over the edge.

"What in the world would do this to a place like the ruins? It's not like there are many people to snack on in here…" Issun said as he walked down the ledge into another room.

There was a large log with huge mushrooms growing like platforms on top of it. Above the mushrooms was another ledge. It looked like there had been stairs in this room before but they had long since eroded away.

"That's incredibly convenient." Issun smiled as he hoisted himself onto the lowest mushroom top. Amaterasu hesitated.

"Don't be such a scaredy cat." Issun said while climbing onto the next. "I know mushrooms well enough to be certain that these are not poisonous."

Amaterasu cautiously joined him in climbing, jumping at the sight of the spores that flew into the air with every movement she made. Issun didn't seem to be bothered by them; he was already on the eight mushrooms from the bottom. Amaterasu didn't trust the spores and did her best to avoid breathing them in. Finally, they scrambled onto another ledge.

Instead of an open tunnel here, there was a door blocking the exit.

"Jeez, and I was just getting used to the no door thing…" Issun walked up to the door and tried to open it just as an arm holding a strange staff came crashing down on the top of his head. His vision whited out for a second and he fell onto his butt, dazed and thoroughly confused. Amaterasu's fur stood on end and she growled ferociously at the doorway.

"What in the world…?" Issun muttered, looking up at the doorway.

The wall began to shake and laugh at Issun. For the first time, Issun noticed that the wall was moving. It was alive. Though cracked and chipped in some areas, the wall showed no signs of deterioration that the rest of the ruins did. Perhaps because it was obviously some form of monster. It had two brawny arms and a strange pole in its right hand.

"Foolish human!" It said in a fittingly gravelly voice. "You will never get passed!"  
"What is that thing?" Issun scooted back. No matter where on earth you were from, walls never came to life and taunted people.

"I am Blockhead! I guard this place so that all shall pass! …er, wait… make that, none shall pass!" Blockhead corrected himself. Issun looked back at Amaterasu, who looked only moderately shocked by a talking wall. Perhaps they have some talking walls back in heaven where she came from.

"Many have tried but none have succeeded in penetrating my rock-solid defenses! Of course, there are certain weak points, but I would never be foolish enough to reveal them!" Blockhead laughed again. "Now, be on your way. None shall pass!"

Issun looked over at Amaterasu, she looked back.

"You just gonna to let him talk to you like that? You're a god, I'm sure you could beat him easy!" Issun said in an encouraging tone of voice.

Amaterasu seemed to gain confidence. She dug her paws into the ground, positioning herself just right with extreme concentration. Issun could almost feel her divine aura building. He took a few steps back to give her some room. _This is incredible! I know she's a god, but how can so much power come from a single being?_ Issun thought in total awe. Amaterasu fixed her piercing eyes upon Blockhead and let a mighty snarl tear across her lips. She charged the rock beast with all of her might; even Blockhead flinched. With unimaginable power, Amaterasu slammed her skull into Blockhead's middle. A second passed. Two seconds. Three seconds. Amaterasu whined and staggered on her feet, stunned by the impact

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" Issun shrieked at her, completely incredulous at the response to her initial attack.

"Is that the best you can do?" Blockhead laughed. Adding insult to injury, he gave Amaterasu a good smack on the head with his staff and laughed harder. Bits of dust and gravel flew off of Blockhead while his laugh grew even louder. He laughed so hard that his side began to split, literally. Two cracks on his front began to appear.

"Look there, Ammy!" Issun pointed them out to her. Amaterasu shook her head and looked at the cracks in Blockhead. "Quick, hit those before his laughing gets much louder. He's giving me a headache."

Amaterasu dug her paws into the earth again but, instead of trying the head butt, she launched her sword into the air and pierced the two cracks on Blockhead's front with the tip of her blade.

Blockhead immediately stopped laughing as the blow spread cracks all through his body.

"Where my weak points so obvious?" Blockhead exclaimed, holding an arm up weakly as his rock body trembled. "I have failed, but let it be known that I died a warrior's death!"

With one final shudder, Blockhead's body shattered in every direction. Issun held up his arm to guard against the shooting debris.

"It's about time you got him." Issun sniffed at her. Amaterasu seemed a bit depressed. She thought she had done a good job and she expected praise.

Issun simply walked through the doorway and out onto a huge stone bridge that hung over the poison lake below. There was nothing supporting the bridge in the middle. All that kept it in the air was where it attached to the side that Amaterasu and Issun were standing and the other side where they obviously had to go, considering that Blockhead had been guarding this area.

Amaterasu sniffed the bridge carefully. Everything else in the ruins was crumbling, why this bridge should be much different.

"Aw, don't be a chicken! It's perfectly structurally sound!" Issun laughed boldly while marching onto the bridge. "Leap before you think, I always say!"

Amaterasu followed the boisterous Issun much more carefully. She could hear some of the groans deep within the bridge. Issun continued his march, oblivious to the danger that might befall them. Suddenly, he stopped, a strange expression on his face.

"Hang on; I think I have some dust or something up my nose…" Issun said as he rubbed his nose. Amaterasu froze in horror as Issun let out a huge sneeze. The echoes bounced off of the walls and there was a loud crunching noise that followed. The two of them looked at their feet to see a huge crack in the bridge form.

"Uh-oh…" Issun said weakly as the part of the bridge that they stood on shifted downwards. Amaterasu broke into a run, snatching the back of Issun's clothing in her mouth and throwing him onto her back. She ran at a sprint on the rapidly crumbling bridge. Try as she might to keep ahead of the falling bridge, the cracks zigzagged passed her and they fell downwards towards the poison lake. Issun clutched Amaterasu's fur in horror.

In a moment of determination, Amaterasu kicked off of the large chunk of rock that they had been standing on, then the next portion, then the next. She finally heaved one last mighty jump from her legs and crash-landed onto the opposite side of the bridge, panting hard. Issun rolled off of her and lay on the ground, staring up at the sky.

"I think I get why people are always saying this place is so dangerous…" Issun said shakily.

Amaterasu whimpered and licked his arm.

"Thanks for the save, furball. You really are something else…" Issun patted her on the side of the head. She seemed pleased enough. Truthfully, the fact that Issun was alright made her happy enough already.

After a few moments of letting the adrenaline die out of their systems, they stood up and proceeded.

In the room they had just entered was a huge waterfall of pure water that fell onto a ledge high above them. From that ledge poured the poison water that flowed down a winding river and poured into another waterfall into the lake below. The plants that would have decorated the river were all dead and decaying. The smell from inside this room was dizzying.

"Urg…!" Issun threw both of his hands over his nose and mouth while Amaterasu howled, unable to block the smell from traveling up her nose.

"We gotta get up to that ledge over there or I think I'm going to pass out…!" Issun gagged. The last thing either of them wanted to do was get closer to the smell, but they trudged down the side of the river to the waterfall where purple foam was gathering around its base. "Now, how in the world do we get up there?"

Amaterasu looked around at the walls and the waterfall, trying to locate anything that would help them. A sudden glitter of light from a rock ledge above gave away the presence of something, but it disappeared. Through the stench of the river, Amaterasu could detect the scent of that familiar scent that had been haunting her. It smelled faintly of exotic flowers… The ground began to shake and a blue light illuminated some ascending rectangles on the wall. Platforms like stairs slowly rumbled out of the wall all the way up to the waterfall edge.

"I don't know if this is a trap or not, but I think it should be okay… right?" Issun asked carefully. Amaterasu didn't seem to fear them. Instead, she started walking right up them without a moment's hesitation. Issun followed her up to a pond where the pure water fell from above them and collected before it was forced off the edge of the next waterfall. Four urns were situated along the ledge of the pond. They were designed in the shape of spiders that spat out the foul poison from their fangs into the pond. The waterfall churned the pure water and the poison into a deadly mix that spread throughout the rest of the ruins. There seemed to be a limitless supply of poison because the level in the urns never went down. The smell was so strong by now that Issun couldn't see straight.

"We gotta… we… gotta… do something about these…" Issun felt like throwing up.

Amaterasu simply collapsed. Her perfectly sensitive nose couldn't handle the stink. Issun soon joined her on the ground near the pond, his energy and clean air reserves in his lungs spent. He felt that the poison in the air was killing him slowly; he could only imagine how badly Amaterasu must have been suffering.

Amaterasu's vision blurred as she began to succumb to the effects of the poison… a gentle voice whispered in her ear as quiet as the evening breeze rustling cherry blossoms.

_"Don't give up, Amaterasu… stand and show this world what you are truly capable of… I believe in you, Amaterasu… I always have…" _The voice faded away with a gentle and refreshing breeze that temporarily blew the poisonous air away. Amaterasu struggled to her feet, staring at the urns. She raised her glaive high into the air and sent it crashing down on the urns, causing them to be sliced in half.

The poison splattered and soaked into the ground in a flash of glittering light. The ground pulsated with green light and the clear water washed down the waterfall. As it traveled, a wave of rejuvenation followed in its wake, healing the plants as it went along. Every plant that had grown for decades in the ruins perked up with renewed strength and everything glowed with health. Issun watched over the ledge at the spectacle. Now that the water was crystal clear and the plants were back, the place looked quite beautiful and much less threatening.

"Who would have known that the poison was cursed too? That's what I call overkill." He commented as he pushed himself to his feet, the effects of the poison miraculously gone.

Amaterasu was also feeling much better. She looked around the room for the source of the voice she had heard.

"What is it?" Issun glanced around too.

Amaterasu cocked her head from side to side, trying to adjust her ears to pick up any sound but she heard nothing but the sound of the waterfall.

"Let's just keep going. I know the ruins are purified now but let's not forget the reason why we're here. That Spider Queen needs a butt kicking and Ume is still lost." Issun explained.

Amaterasu looked back at him, her head still cocked.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Issun exclaimed. Amaterasu offered cluelessness as her response. He just groaned. "You are such a space-case…"

He marched off down the stairs to look for another way to go to find the heart of the ruins. More often than not, anything important was located in the core, especially if it had such high security like this place. He knew that it would get much tougher from here on out.


	12. Chapter 12

"Found something!" Issun called to Amaterasu. She trotted over to Issun, who was squatting by a hole in the wall. "Do you think you can fit though this hole? It looks like it goes somewhere important."  
Amaterasu got on her belly and started to crawl through slowly and carefully. Issun followed a few moments later, not wanting to get wolf butt in his face. Amaterasu made it into the next room and stood up, waging her tail. Issun didn't know why she was so happy until he joined her.

The room was a something of a garden with fountains that sprung up from the floor and followed small, man-made streams into a pool in the center of the circular room. The grass and flowers were a healthy green color and some of the remaining structure of the ruins remained in the room. On the walls were pictographs, one of which looked like a wolf.

"Hey, that one looks like you." Issun pointed out. "I suppose you're a god and all, but that must be flattering."

Amaterasu sniffed the carving of herself.

"This place is pretty cool, but how do we get out of here?" Issun looked around. On the far edge of the wall was a door blocked off by some collapsed architecture. There were some spider webs spread over the crumbled stone.

"You think you can fix this?" Issun pointed at the collapsed doorway. Amaterasu walked over and started digging through the rubble; Issun covered his face to protect himself from bits of flying rock. When it was finally cleared away, Amaterasu lay down on the ground and began to pick at her paws with her teeth.

"What's up?" Issun knelt beside her to get a look at what was bothering her. It was hard to see because of Amaterasu's pure white fur, but her paws were caked with the spider webbing from the rocks. The webs were much thicker and sticky looking up close than they did just at a glance. Issun carefully helped her peal the webs off, but he just got them stuck on his hands too.

"This is disgusting…!" Issun grunted and tried to peal the webs off of himself.

Now free and mostly oblivious to Issun's struggles, Amaterasu walked through the newly-opened doorway and looked around the area. There was a pit in front of the walkway and an exit on the other side. The only way to get across the pit was a huge, inverted, dome-shaped web that spanned the entire chasm. Issun soon joined her, giving up on the webs stuck to his hands. Every time he pulled it off one hand, it would get stuck to the other.

"Do you think it's safe?" Issun asked, staring at the web in the pit.

Amaterasu gave it a good sniff.

"Well, whether it's safe or not, it looks like our only way forward." Issun said, taking a step forward onto the web. Amaterasu whined and followed him carefully. Every time they put a foot down, it would glue to the web's surface and they would have to pull their feet extra hard to get them loose again. Once they pulled a foot free, the web would snap back and send a twanging vibration up the walls and into the darkness above.'

Pairs of red eyes slowly opened in response to the vibrations and a low hissing sound ensued. There was a soft rustling sound that followed. Issun paused, listening to the sounds from above. He looked around indiscreetly and his hand twitched slightly towards his sword. Amaterasu was too busy unsticking two more feet from the web to notice the sound.

A dozen or so humanoid spiders descended from the darkness, hissing hungrily at the two figures caught in their web.

"What the heck are those things?" Issun shouted in horror at the ugliness of the beasts. He tried to take a step back but his feet were still glued to the webs; he couldn't move. By the sounds of Amaterasu's frustrated growling, she was experiencing the same problem as Issun.

The spider creatures walked across the web with ease. They were in no hurry; they knew that their prey would not be going anywhere. They snapped large jaws edged on either side with pincer-like fangs as drool poured out of them. All Issun could do was pull out his sword and hope that he would be lucky enough to kill a few. Chances of this dwindled as spiders began to move behind him as well. They saw him as more of a threat than Amaterasu at the time. They ganged up to take the more dangerous prey down together. One spider led the charge with an ear-splitting shriek. It pounced into the air. Issun felt a powerful mass slam into his back. He fell face-first into the web, getting stuck immediately. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get up, with or without the pack of spider creatures surrounding him.

Issun managed to turn his head slightly to see a spider creature right over top of him, its drooling mouth wide open to deliver the finishing bite. Its breath reeked of decay. Amaterasu howled in rage. The spider paused and looked up at Amaterasu, who began to charge a Powerslash. Once she let her attack go, two spider creatures were cleaved in two perfectly. Their blood splattered against the white web as their severed bodies crumpled. Amaterasu let loose a second attack, then a third. The bodies of the spiders littered the web until there was only one left; the spider creature on Issun's back.

The creature hissed angrily at Amaterasu for killing its comrades. Amaterasu simply snarled in response and charged the final Powerslash.

"Wait, Ammy!" Issun tried to warn her but it was too late. Amaterasu had begun the attack. The spider uttered a strange gurgling sound as the blow passed cleanly through its body and then to the web on the other side. This was what Issun had feared. The web detached from the wall and began to fall.

"Great work, you stupid furball!" Issun screamed as the web tilted being only supported by one side. The weight of the dead creatures, Issun, and Amaterasu combined were too much for the unbalanced web and the rest of it snapped off. A horrible second of utter terror wracked Issun's body seconds before they began to fall down the pit.

As they tumbled downwards, the bottom of the pit came into view. There was a small but deep pool of water directly below them. _Oh no…_ Was all that Issun could think as they plummeted. Amaterasu howled at the top of her lungs before they plunged into the water.

Issun opened his eyes blearily, unaware of his surroundings for a moment. As his vision cleared, he could see that he was lying on a patch of grass beside a broken bridge that led to an elevated platform of land.

"…Am I dead…?" Issun asked aloud.

A low moan answered him. Amaterasu, who had been lying beside him, stood up and shook herself off. The spray of water that followed woke Issun up more. He sat up and looked around. The crumbling structures in the grass and plants told him that they were still in the Tsuta Ruins.

"How did we survive…?" Issun hoisted himself to his feet.

When he looked around, they were faced with the same problem they had experienced in every different part of the ruins; there was only one way out but no obvious way to get there. The bridge was obvious, but it was also obviously broken with the middle part of it completely gone.

"What in the world do we do now?" Issun sighed.

Amaterasu ran over to the bridge and sniffed around it, she knew there was something familiar about it. While she ran, she kicked up some dust. Issun noticed something on the floor, another pictograph perhaps? Issun knelt down to the floor and brushed some of the dust away. The picture carved into the ground was a large, coiled, serpentine dragon. Amaterasu paused for a moment and looked down at the picture. She cocked her head once and then the outlines started to glow.

The form of the dragon rose out of the pictograph, fully three-dimensional and very real. It was pure white with wisps of fur along its back and crimson markings along its body. Part of its tail turned into a scroll where its tail was drawn in and then came out the other side. The dragon was very large and took up a good portion of the space on the bottom of the pit. It looked very old and wise and spoke with a deep voice.

"Greetings, Amaterasu, origin and mother to us all. I am Yomigami, the god of rejuvenation. Long ago, we were one being, but your fateful battle with the darkness left you too weak to reserve my power. I was forced to hide in this place where a dark spirit from your past has kept me prisoner. Now that you have returned, I can rest easily knowing that the darkness will not persist forever. I will lend you my power and I hope that it will aid you on your quest." Yomigami spoke. He inclined his head to the broken bridge. "Beyond this bridge lies a powerful enemy. Rebuilding this bridge may also rebuild some of your broken past and your fragmented memories. Take heart that all of them may not be pleasing for you to see. A link to the past will be formed with every step you take from here on out, you would do well not to forget them again."

With that, Yomigami formed into a ball of light that shot straight into Amaterasu. Issun marveled at how much more powerful Amaterasu looked with the addition of Yomigami's power… but what he had said disturbed him. Did Amaterasu have a dark past? What had happened to her? One thing that he had never really bothered to think about was how she came to the human world. What had happened that night 100 years ago when she fell from the sky?

Amaterasu looked much less concerned. In fact, she looked quite content. She wagged her tail lazily while staring at Issun. She was oblivious to most things around her. Issun couldn't help but wonder if anything that Yomigami had said registered in her head at all. Just as he thought this, Amaterasu walked over to the bridge and placed a paw on some of the splintered wood. The bridge began to glow with a heavenly white light. The light spread all the way over to the other side of the bridge. When the light faded, a new and fully repaired bridge took the place of the broken one.

"You can fix stuff? Dang, you are handy!" Issun commented before climbing up on her back.

Amaterasu barked a response.

"Well, Yomigami told us that there's something wicked evil this way so let's psyche ourselves up for the worst and hope for the best!" Issun said confidently. Amaterasu seemed just as determined as Issun.

They crossed over the bridge into the next room. There was a walkway that lead to a large circular platform surrounded by a pool far below that was fed by small spouts of water that poured out of equally spaced holes in the wall. The room was relatively dark but a dirty pink flower of epic proportions was situated in the middle of the room. Instead of the pollen that a normal flower exhibited, it had ten or so eyestalks in the center with unmoving red eyes.

"Get a load of that nasty thing!" Issun said loudly, his voice echoing against the walls of the chamber. He climbed off of Amaterasu's back and walked over to the flower. Without a moment's hesitation, he climbed onto one of the petals and walked over to the middle of the great plant to look in. On the inside of the flower, he saw a dog curled up.

"Hey, it looks like this thing ATE a dog!" Issun said, completely fascinated. Plants didn't eat dogs where he came from.

Amaterasu cocked her head at a sudden movement from the shadows. Eight shadow heads reared up on serpent-like necks and swayed back and forth. An instant fear and anger washed through her body and she charged at the flower. Amaterasu took a flying leap and grabbed Issun by the shirt to pull him out of the way just as the flower snapped shut. The shadowed heads faded back into the darkness as the flower stood up to reveal a revolting sight beyond anything that Issun had ever seen in his life.


	13. Chapter 13

Standing before Amaterasu and Issun was a huge, spider like creature. It resembled a female due to its long and matted black hair that fell over her face which had no eyes. Her skin was a sickly blue color. Her mouth was wide-set and full of teeth. On each end of her mouth was a horrible fang that oozed poison much like how her mouth oozed drool. Her eight arms were long and human-like but they turned around backwards so the spidery hands with crusty nails pointed in towards her. Her abdomen was the large flower that had been pulled into a bud shape with sinister looking hooks on the outside of each petal.

Issun cringed at the sight of the abomination of humanity before him. The way it moved might haunt him forever. It's smooth yet jerking motions that propel spiders forward. The voice of the creature suited it well with its raspy quality.

"You… you are the one that has been killing my children…" The creature said.

"Oh, those nasty things that attacked us were yours?" Issun asked with mock sarcasm. "Oh well."

"Foolish man! You have no idea upon what you have stumbled! I will not allow you to interfere with my master's triumphant return!" The Spider Queen spat.

"Well then, we're just gunna have to kick your butt and your master's too. We don't like darkness polluting our nice world, okay?" Issun smirked.

"You will pay for your insolence!" the Spider Queen shrieked. "Dog isn't usually on my menu, but for you, I will make an exception!"

"What in the world do you mean 'dog isn't on my menu'? I saw that dog that you ate up! Besides, this here is a GOD!"

The Spider Queen looked pleasantly shocked. "Well then! I'll send you back heaven. Hold still, this won't hurt a bit…"

Her head convulsed backwards and she shrieked, her howling cries echoing off of the walls. With her jaw opened unnaturally wide, she coughed up thick strands of spider web that seemed to have a mind of their own. They twisted and writhed in the air before locking onto Issun and Amaterasu's position. The cords of spider web shot at Amaterasu and Issun with incredible speed, but they were faster. The two of them easily jumped out of the way of her attack. Issun even drew his sword and lobbed off some of the strands.

"Go, Ammy!" Issun called out to her, commanding her for attack. She howled into the stagnant air and sped around the other side of the Spider Queen for an attack from behind. Issun marveled at her new found godly strength. When Amaterasu reached her top speed, grass and flowers bloomed at her feet, livening the dim and evil chambers. _It must be the power of bloom and regeneration at work._ Issun thought.

The Spider Queen thought Amaterasu quite foolish if the lupine goddess thought that she would confuse her adversary by running behind her. With a wide smirk, the Spider Queen jumped into the air and performed a one-eighty degree turn. Now that she was facing Amaterasu, she began a charge of her own. The ground shook horribly as the Spider Queen crashed over it, trying to crush Amaterasu under her hands.

"Get out of the way, Ammy!" Issun shouted. With a mighty leap, Amaterasu cleared the hands that the Spider Queen flung at her. Once on the ground again, Amaterasu began running back towards Issun. Issun leapt on her back as gracefully as a cat as she ran by.

The Spider Queen let out a shriek of anger and coughed out a pulsing, membranous, egg-type object. Issun felt slightly nauseated by the display but kept his focus.

With a raucous howl, the Spider Queen prepared to throw the object at them. Amaterasu skidded to a stop and faced the Spider Queen, raising her glaive. She used a well-aimed Powerslash that sliced through the air and the object above the Spider Queen. A khaki colored liquid spilled from the object and fell onto the Spider Queen's head. She screamed in pain as the liquid burned her skin.

Momentarily distracted by her own pain, she was blind to the oncoming attack by Issun and Amaterasu. Amaterasu launched herself into the air and landed on the back of the spider queen. With Issun's help, she began to cut at anything in reach. The acidic liquid eventually oozed into the fresh wounds, causing even more pain for the Spider Queen.

"NO!" She screeched. One of her gruesome hands reached back and grabbed Amaterasu and Issun off of her back. She threw them onto the floor and they skidded to nearly the end of the chamber drop off. Issun landed on his back and was stunned by the impact, therefore helpless to the Spider Queen's charging attack. He braced himself as the Spider Queen' hand came down over his head. Amaterasu snatched him up and jumped out of the way at the last second.

"You can't keep this up for long, even a god must tire!" The Spider Queen taunted.

Amaterasu snarled in rebellion.

The Spider Queen lashed one of her great hands out to snatch Amaterasu but she jumped high into the air and did a forwards flip. Issun stared in awe as she landed as quietly as a cat. The second her paws touched the ground, an explosion of plant life from a wave of green light pulsed forth. The vines that had been removed by the Spider Queen ages ago for her home grew back and spread over the floor, up the walls, and all the way to the ceiling. Along the vines blossomed large pink flowers. Issun and Amaterasu both recognized them.

The Spider Queen flew at them in a fit of rage. Her speed and strength increased now that they had ruined her home. All Amaterasu and Issun could hope to do was run. They didn't have much of a plan. That is, until Issun started to do a bit of quick thinking. "That Spider Wench has hooks on her butt! Use that vine power you have to hook her butt. Maybe we can get her to stop chasing us long enough to get an attack in!"

Amaterasu did as Issun suggested, using her godly powers to bring the flowers on the wall to life. The flowers twisted for a moment and then pointed their bright faces at the Spider Queen. There was a loud snap while four vines shot out at the Spider Queen and wrapped themselves around the hooks on her abdomen. The Spider Queen lurched to a stop as the vines pulled her backwards. She screeched loudly as the vines continued to pull.

Something amazing then happened. The vines ripped open the flower on her abdomen, revealing her vulnerable eyes to attack.

"There!" Issun shouted, leaping from Amaterasu's back. He ran over to the monster, his sword drawn, and jumped onto the flower. The eyes looked at Issun in indignation and rage as he smiled. With a swift slice, he cut through one of the eyeballs. The Spider Queen howled in agony.

Amaterasu joined Issun on the flower and began ripping the eyes off of their stalks with her powerful jaws. The two of them cut and ripped their way through the eyes while the Spider Queen screeched and screamed in pain. With a burst of incredible strength, the Spider Queen snapped the vines just as her final eye as pierced through the pupil with Issun's blade.

Together, Amaterasu and Issun leapt from the back of the Spider Queen seconds before she closed her bud. Her wounds prevented her from closing it all the way and blood leaked out from within it. She staggered around blindly.

"Curse you…!" The Spider Queen shouted, wheeling around to try and find them. Without her eyes, she couldn't see. There was only one option left for her. She threw her head back and spat out webbing. Issun and Amaterasu dodged it as the silky stuff fell to the ground. They watched as the Spider Queen felt around on the ground along the webs.

"I bet she's using that vibration thing that the other little spiders used before…" Issun whispered to Amaterasu. "Don't move or she'll know where we are… This place echoes something horrible so I don't think noise is our greatest enemy here, just don't move…"

Amaterasu stood perfectly still.

"Where are you…?" The Spider Queen cooed with malice in her voice. Amaterasu looked around. Standing still wasn't going to get them anywhere, there had to be some way to take the offensive again.

She looked up at the ceiling. It was hard to see because of the darkness, but Amaterasu could make out enough of it.

The ceiling was nothing more than a pile of gravel that had been cemented into place with webs. The Spider Queen had created it so that she could have a dark and dead cave. If Amaterasu wanted to restore the Tsuta Ruins to the way that they were, she would have to get rid of the webs.

"What the hack are you doing?" Issun exclaimed as shards of rock flew over them.

"Aha! There you are!" The Spider Queen exclaimed.

Issun flinched, waiting for the end. Instead of charging at Amaterasu and Issun, the Spider Queen ran head-first towards the falling rocks.

"Look, she thinks that's us!" Issun commented. "Do it again!"

Amaterasu cut away more of the rocks. They tumbled down, some even hitting the already weakened Spider Queen. The more rocks that fell, the more light was allowed into the ruins. The huge bud on the Spider Queen's abdomen began to turn a more healthy color with the light from the sun. The horrible monster began to slow even more.

"You will pay for your insolence, you mongrel!" The Spider Queen hissed.

"How's this for insolence; you got a big butt and not even a mother could love your face!" Issun shouted jovially as Amaterasu slashed the last of the rocks from the ceiling. The huge rocks rained down from above, crushing the Spider Queen beneath them. They seemed almost vengeful at her for trapping them for so long. She let out a terrible scream that was cut short when her body was buried completely by the avalanche of stone.

Once the dust and debris cleared enough and the sun shone powerfully into the room, Issun let out a loud whoop.

"Ha-HAA! We did it!" Issun danced over the rocks, making obscene gestures at the pile that covered the body of the Spider Queen. Amaterasu stood where she was but looked highly excited as she pawed the ground and wagged her tail hard enough to knock a grown man off of his feet.

"What now, you nasty old hag? We own you!" Issun continued to verbally insult the pile of rock.

Amaterasu barked at Issun.

"What's that, furball?" Issun stopped mid-gesture. He climbed back over to Amaterasu. "What's wrong?"

Amaterasu placed a paw on one of the rocks. A pulse of green emanated from the rock as well as a bright light. The power of Regeneration and Rejuvenation were combined in and instant. The rocks formed together to create an almost primitive statue of what looked like a dog while the plant life of grass, moss, and vines flowed over the entire room. The body of the Spider Queen had transformed into a gigantic and beautiful blooming flower, its face lifted proudly towards the sun at the feet of the statue like an offering.

Within the flower laid a helpless dog. Its coat was a read color and on its side were light markings that resembled flowers. Around its neck was tied an orange scarf, suggesting quite plainly that the dog belonged to someone.

"Hey, Ammy… you don't think…?" Issun began.

He wandered right up to the flower and poked the dog once, he was afraid that it had been caught in the attack and hadn't survived. He also assumed that it was Kokari's dog, Ume. How in the world would they explain to the poor boy that they had accidently killed his best friend. Issun held his breath, shaking the dog lightly, hoping for any sort of response. The dog let out a snort and looked up at Issun sleepily.

"Hey! This stupid mutt was just sleeping!" Issun commented angrily. "All that worrying for nothing, this is why I don't like pets."

Ume jumped out of the flower and ran around Issun in a circle happily. Amaterasu followed Ume's example. Ume looked moderately surprised at a wolf so huge, but when Amaterasu slapped her front paws on the ground (which is the canine equivalent of inviting someone to play with you) Ume barked and jumped right into a wrestling match with her. The two looked like they were having a good time. Issun couldn't help but smile too. He knew that there was still many more trials that they had to face, but they had done well for now.


	14. Chapter 14

Kokari ran towards the Tsuta Ruins as quickly as his feet could take him. There had been a rather large delay when the huge fish that he had pulled out of the water had suddenly regained its energy once inside the hut. It had taken him and his father some time to subdue the wily fish, but it would make a very, VERY good meal later on. Kokari didn't care much about food at the moment, though. He had to save his dog.

"Hey, you stupid wolf!" Kokari shouted through the trees. "Wherever you are, give me back that key! I need it to get Ume back!"

Kokari ran all the way to the ruins and stopped dead. The first thing that caught his eyes was the open doors. Then, coming out of the ruins, he saw the figure of a short man and a large wolf carrying something alive in its mouth.

"…UME?" Kokari shouted as Issun and Amaterasu walked out of the ruins. Amaterasu set Ume down on the ground.

"Ume, are you alright? I'm so sorry for leaving you in the ruins! Can you ever forgive me?" Kokari began to sob, running over to embrace his dear friend. Ume snarled at Kokari, warning him to stay back. "What's wrong, Ume? Are you mad?"  
Issun shifted awkwardly, wondering how to explain to Kokari what had happened. "You see, kid… Your dog was deep within the ruins and he didn't seem to want to leave…"  
"Huh? Why is that?" Kokari looked at Ume who was still refusing to let Kokari come closer to him. "You must be really, really mad at me…"  
"You got it all wrong, kid. You only THINK you left your dog behind." Issun explained. "The truth is... he decided to stay at the ruins himself."

"He did?" Kokari looked flabbergasted. Kokari looked back at Ume who still looked relatively hostile. "But why?"

"Maybe he was showing you that anyone, even a dog, can have an adventure." Issun explained.

Kokari looked up at Issun, then at Ume, then at the ground. Issun could tell that he didn't understand.

In a rare moment of ageless wisdom, Issun began to speak again.

"Look at it this way; there's not much separating a boy from a man. They grow up before you know it and accomplish great things." Issun said. Amaterasu looked over at Issun, shocked. He wasn't one who seemed very good with philosophy or wisdom. A bit of the true Issun had shone through for a brief moment, though no one knew it.

"…I see." Kokari said after thinking about what Issun had said. He turned to his dog with a new determination in his voice. His resolve was clear. "I guess you knew everything, Ume. "Like how my dad wants me to be more responsible and active but I was too sacred. Your fearless adventure has changed me! You have convinced me to stop shirking on my responsibilities!"

Ume began to wag his tail happily. He let out a happy bark and jumped on Kokari, licking his face. Kokari laughed.

"I'm going to work harder at becoming the man my dad wants me to be!" Kokari said determinedly.

Issun couldn't help but let out a smile. The crybaby that used to drive him up the wall finally made the decision to grow up. He looked at Amaterasu, still smiling. She seemed to understand that they had done a good thing and she wagged her tail back at him.

"Thank you, both of you, for saving Ume." Kokari said, hugging Ume around the neck while the dog continued to lick his face.

"It's not a problem." Issun said. Ume's rescue was more along the way of their real adventure.

"Where are you headed to next, I could show you the best way out of the forest." Kokari offered.

As nice as Kokari's offer was, Issun hesitated for a moment. It was nothing against Kokari… it was more likely that he hadn't put much thought into what they would be doing next. Amaterasu cocked her head at the frowning Issun.

"Uh… hold on a second." Issun said, grabbing Amaterasu and turning her around. He huddled close to her head and spoke in a low voice. Amaterasu paid close attention.

"To be painfully obvious, I don't have a clue what to do next." Issun muttered embarrassedly. Amaterasu twisted around and grabbed the Astral Pouch in her mouth, pulling it up so Issun could get inside of it. He rummaged around in its infinite storage until he found their map. He pulled it out and took a good look.

"Let's see… The merchant told us that Agata Forest, Kusa Village, Sei-an City, and Kamiki Village were having some problems too… we pretty much fixed the entire Agata Forest already… sooo… the next place we visit should be Kusa Village. It's relatively close, just through Taka Pass outside of the forest here." Issun said, tracing his fingers over the scroll so Amaterasu, who couldn't read, could follow along somewhat.

Amaterasu let out a quiet "wuff" to show that she agreed with Issun's plans. Issun quickly rolled up the scroll and tried to place it in the Astral Pouch as discreetly as possible. After becoming Kokari's hero, Issun didn't want to mess it all up.

"Our next stop is Kusa Village!" Issun said importantly.

"Oh, good! That's not too far from here. Just follow Ume and I; we'll get you out." Kokari gave them a thumbs up and lead them onward. Behind him marched Ume, who looked very proud of his master and very happy to be back out in the world.

They passed through the trees until things started to look less menacing and they entered a small pass. Ahead of them, they could hear a rushing river. They came upon a fast moving mountain river with a simple bridge to pass over.

"We're almost out, just go over the bridge, follow the path, and you'll be in Taka Pass in no time." Kokari instructed.

"Thanks a lot, kid." Issun mussed Kokari's hair. "Promise us that you won't say no to an adventure just because you're scared. Take care of that accident-prone mutt of yours too."

"I will! Thank you for rescuing him, I'll never forget you Issun and snowy wolf!" Kokari waved them off.

Issun and Amaterasu proceeded along the bridge. As they continued over the swift moving water, the bridge creaked loudly. Issun paused as one of the boards beneath his feet shifted. His heart sank as he kept his eyes forward.

"Not again…" He said pitifully as the bridge rapidly began to crumble beneath him. Amaterasu yipped in surprise and grabbed Issun by the cloak, dragging him quickly over to the other side. Once safely on the river bank, they watched as the bridge fell into the river and washed away.

"Oh no…" Issun frowned. Amaterasu's tail shot between her legs and her ears flattened in guilt equal to Issun's.

"Hey, kid! We can stay and help to fix it…" Issun began to say.

"Not a chance! You have your own adventure to go on. Ume and I will take responsibility and build the new one ourselves! Right boy?" Kokari looked down at Ume, who barked happily up at him.

Issun's guilt melted into a proud sort of smile. "That's a good answer; you've grown up so much already."

Kokari smiled back at Issun and Amaterasu. He was incredibly grateful to have met them.

Amaterasu wagged her tail happily.

"Now that we have that all settled… Ammy…" Issun said sweetly. "PUT ME DOWN!"

Issun and Amaterasu continued down the road to Taka Pass, Issun very grumpy that his butt was wet with wolf spit, and Amaterasu swerving all over the road. She was determined to locate every smell along the way to Kusa Village and identify it as well. This one was a sweaty fat man, that one was some spilled tea, the one by the rock was a fox… it was all very interesting.

"You're lagging behind, furball." Issun said. "If you don't hurry, I'm going to leave you be-…"

Issun cut himself short as they made it out of the small path surrounded by cliffs into the actual Taka Pass. Instead of the normal beauty of Taka Pass with its trees and bamboo woods, there was only grey coated with the familiar black and red clouds of a huge cursed zone. Amaterasu looked around at all of the dead plant life. Inside the cursed zone was a road-side tea shop for travelers; the tea master stood outside the shop, frozen solid as a statue.

"This entire area… is cursed too…?" Issun said weakly as he looked around. His heart sank as he took in the full damage. Some of the trees and other plants had been eaten completely by the curse.

Amaterasu snarled at the evil that surrounded the area, it made her furious to see so much of the earth in so much pain. Issun put a hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him quickly. He offered her a simple smile.

"Let's get to work. You wouldn't be much of a god if you left Taka Pass like this!" Issun said with an encouraging voice before hopping onto Amaterasu's back.

Amaterasu took the path along a small cliff wall; it was the only path that they could go without walking straight into the cursed zone. Before long, they say a man-made tunnel in the side of the cliff and they entered it. It seemed more peaceful and safe in the cave than it did outside. Torches for light along the wall told the two of them that this path was traveled frequently enough.

Not more than a minute later, they walked into a large room with a healthy spring glowing off to the side. There was a ledge high above their heads and a wooden walkway supported by the wall and thick wooden posts that wound its way up along the cave wall to the ledge. Another man-made object that gave them some comfort. It was well maintained, too. They needn't worry about the structure collapsing this time.

Amaterasu took a step towards the walkway when a breeze ruffled her fur from above. Caves didn't usually produce breezes, especially ones that carried such familiar scents. Issun noticed this too. He looked up and all around.

"I smell fruit…" Issun informed her.

Just then, the sweet and distinct sound of a flute being played echoed off of the walls of the cave. It was a melody that Issun and Amaterasu had heard before.

"Hark, the call of the heavens, the earth, the sea! They summon me forth to defeat evil!" A voice called from the top ledge.

"Oh no…" Issun groaned in deep aggravation.

From the ledge jumped the familiar figure of Ushiwaka. He flipped forwards in midair before visibly slowing while still in the air and landing gracefully upon the top of a rock in the spring. "Ushiwaka, the gods' gift to man, is here! Bonjour!"

"Not you again! What in the world are you doing here?" Issun shouted angrily.

"It is good to see you too, small friend." Ushiwaka gave him a less than sincere but very polite smile.

"My name is Issun, not small friend! I'm not, nor will I ever be, your friend!" Issun shouted.

"But you are little." Ushiwaka said, twisting Issun's words jocularly.

"Shut up!" Issun shouted louder.

Ushiwaka ignored Issun and turned his attention to Amaterasu, as predicted.

"Long time no see, ma cherie. Did you enjoy the web adventure that I prophesized?" Ushiwaka said with a devious glint in his eyes.

"Why, you…! You were behind that attack, weren't you?" Issun instantly accused. Amaterasu also seemed to agree with Issun's accusation. She immediately took an offensive stance and growled at Ushiwaka. Taken aback and possibly hurt, but never to be perturbed, Ushiwaka took a step back.

"Moi? Of course not-I would never do such a thing to put Amaterasu in danger. I simply had a fleeting glance of your future." Ushiwaka explained, crossing his arms and tapping his flute on his shoulder. "I have explained before, I have the power to see what has yet to come, even if it were something that you'd rather not know."

"The half-baked prophet is at it again…" Issun muttered to Amaterasu.

Amaterasu stood up and looked back at Issun questioningly.

"If you're so great, how come you didn't foresee any of this crazy evil stuff going on?" Issun asked snidely.

Issun had a very valid point. Even Amaterasu looked back at Ushiwaka to give him her big eyed, questioning look.

"Heh heh. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Issun mocked.

Ushiwaka remained silent for a very long and awkward amount of time. "….excuzes-moi? Did you say something, my small friend?"

"That's it!" Issun shouted, drawing his sword in anger.

"By the way, I saw your battle with the spider lady. You have improved… but you are still quite clumsy with your fighting skills." Ushiwaka changed the subject completely. He turned away from Amaterasu and Issun with a heavy sigh. "How could a washed up old wolf like you possibly expect to save the world? Ridiculous!"

"Whoa, whoa! Back up a second…" Issun said.

"You were spying on our battle but in never once crossed your mind that you could help out?" Issun shouted, jumping off of Amaterasu and brandishing his sword in Ushiwaka's face.

"Please, put your weapon away. I did not come to fight you." Ushiwaka placed a finger delicately on the tip of Issun's sword, lowering it gently.

"I see how it is. Still hurting from that nasty blow Ammy dealt you in our first fight, huh? You're too scared to fight us." Issun smirked pompously.

"Not hardly." Ushiwaka smiled. "I actually came to ask you a question."

"Why can't you ever get right to the point so we don't have to waste our lives with you?" Issun climbed back upon Amaterasu.

The sight of Issun resting upon the goddess's back was a bit too much for Ushiwaka to stomach. He had no right to ride her like she was a common beast of burden, she was a goddess and deserved much more respect than that. What really bothered Ushiwaka most was that Amaterasu didn't seem to mind this treatment at all. She accepted Issun… but was rejecting him. He was trained not to let jealousy cloud his judgement, but…

"It's not as much fun when I tell you everything." Ushiwaka said with his faux smile.

"Oh, how I hate you…" Issun muttered so just Amaterasu could hear.

"Have you ever heard of the Dream Beads?" Ushiwaka changed the subject, addressing Amaterasu instead of Issun.

Amaterasu cocked her head.

"Well, I suppose a better question to ask is; do you REMEMBER the Dream Beads?" Ushiwaka asked again.

"How is that any different? We don't know what the heck it is." Issun retorted angrily.

"The Dream Beads are curious artifacts that may give the wearer insight into the dreams of another. I believe that they are located somewhere in this area. They would prove most invaluable in your quest." Ushiwaka informed them.

"Why should we take advice from you? You attacked us in Agata Forest, why in the world would we trust you." Issun asked suspiciously.

"If you will be traveling with Amaterasu, it is only fair that you know what you will be up against. No one will think any less of you if you back out." Ushiwaka began to say.

"Are you saying that I can't handle myself?" Issun shouted. "Let me tell you something, buddy! I may not be incredibly tall but that doesn't mean that I'm going to back out of an adventure just because it's difficult! Ammy and I are a team and we're sticking this one out until the end."

Amaterasu barked in agreement, snorting to seal their partnership. This was not the answer that Ushiwaka wanted to hear. He didn't wish to see Amaterasu agreeing with the young man either. Once Issun understood the gravity of what he was facing, Ushiwaka knew that he would not be so confident. He simply had to wait.

"I cannot do anything to change your mind… but I can warn you. The things that you may find in Amaterasu's past are not happy. We prophets have something of a saying that I think will apply here nicely. 'Once it is seen, it cannot be unseen'. Take these words to heart and continue with caution, small friend." Ushiwaka waved them forward to the walkway.

Issun stared at Ushiwaka. It seemed almost as disturbing to watch him be serious as it was to watch him be his normal self. He watched Ushiwaka suspiciously as Amaterasu passed him and took a few steps onto the walkway.

"Oh, before you depart, I have another prophecy for you!" Ushiwaka spun around to look at them. Issun groaned, he thought that they'd get off free on this encounter. "I foresee a dog-GONE difficult quest!"

Issun and Amaterasu stared at Ushiwaka as he posed while prophesizing. Both of them were unsure what they were supposed to think.

"That is all for now. Au revoir, baby!" Ushiwaka bade them before jumping onto the top of the walkway and then out of the tunnel on the top. Amaterasu and Issun stayed for a moment longer to think.

"I've said it before and I will say it again. I hate that guy so much." Issun said with a sigh. "Anyway, those Dream Beads sound kinda trippy but still pretty cool. I bet I could use them on a few girls that I know."

Issun laughed lecherously as Amaterasu continued to climb up the stairs. The annoying buzzing had returned to her head. She flicked her ears and shook her head as she went up higher. Issun might have noticed if he wasn't so busy ranting about Ushiwaka. Amaterasu knew Ushiwaka from somewhere… but the only thing she could remember about him was an emotion; a bad one. Was this correct? Was Ushiwaka not to be trusted? Or was it her memories that shouldn't be trusted?


	15. Chapter 15

The duo made it out of the tunnel in no time. They proceeded along a path that lead them along a very wide expanse of a ledge along the natural rock walls that cradled the once stunning beauty of Taka Pass. Up where Amaterasu and Issun walked, there was no cursed zone. The altitude had somehow preserved this little bit of the land's beauty. The trees and the grass grew unperturbed along the path and Issun could point out certain things to Amaterasu, even if she wasn't paying attention.

"…and over there is a bamboo grove. It may look like normal bamboo but this place is famous for their high-quality bamboo. I haven't ever used bamboo for anything so I wouldn't know if this is true, but they say that this stuff is the best. There's supposed to be a hidden grove around here somewhere… but we really should be focusing on finding those Dream Beads… and a way to uncured Taka Pass, of course." Issun eventually ended his rant on bamboo.

Amaterasu put her nose to the ground, determined to find any source of relief for the broken land below them. The scent of flowers caught her attention and her tail wagged once in an automatic response. With her nose in the dirt, she followed the scent eagerly until Issun let out a gasp. She immediately froze and looked around, fearing that something was wrong.

"Check it out, furball!" Issun grabbed her by the ears and pointed her head in the right direction. Directly in front of them was a withered tree that looked exactly like the tree in Agata Forest. "Check it out, I think that's another Guardian Sapling! That was really easy!"

As Issun spoke, a huge figure burst from the ground. A towering yellow imp carrying a huge drum and drumsticks jumped and shrieked at them before tunneling underground again. Two regular imps jumped out from behind a rock and danced around with their flutes.

"Of course, it couldn't be easy." Issun groaned in aggravation. He made a big show of getting off of Amaterasu's back, as if it was a huge struggle for himself. He drew his sword, Denkomaru, and ran at one of the green imps. First, Issun cut its flute in half. Before the imp could become enraged, Issun finished the imp by giving it a good slash to the chest. Blood spurted and the imp choked before falling backwards.

The second imp seemed furious. It unloaded a series of rapid-fire attacks on Issun, using its flute like a lance to knock him around. Issun blocked the blows easily. The imp attacked Issun's middle with a jab; he slapped the flute away with his sword. The imp went for a head hit; Issun blocked it and threw some force into his block to knock his enemy back before stabbing it through the middle. The Imp also collapsed on the ground.

Issun smiled triumphantly and rested the dull edge of his sword on his shoulder.

"How's that for a good fight?" Issun asked Amaterasu, a smile played across his face. A rumble beneath her feet told Amaterasu trouble was near. BOOM! A drum sounded through the air as the yellow imp burst through the earth and caught Issun on its drum. The force of the unexpected attack launched Issun into the air. He landed on the hard ground, the wind forced out of his lungs.

As Issun lay on the ground, gasping for air and the imp closed in on him, Amaterasu took action. She broke into a fast run and jumped. In her jaws, she caught the back of the yellow imp's head. Though it tasted far from delicious, Amaterasu held onto the imps head as the momentum of her jump still forced her through the air. She jerked her head backwards as far as she could and then threw the imp. She would not allow the foul creature to hurt her friend.

Its head sore and its pride damaged, the yellow imp let out a screech and burrowed underground for its next attack. Amaterasu stood perfectly still, turning her ears in every direction to pick up the sound of the imp shifting the dirt. She locked on to the sound, right below her. She waited until the imp was just an inch below her before she jumped.

An explosion of dirt and a furious yellow imp showed that if Amaterasu would have waited a second longer, she might not have walked away from the fight. Only seconds behind Amaterasu, the imp reached out and grabbed her by the foot and slammed her down into the dirt. With a backwards spin in midair, the imp held its drum in its arms like a rocket. Amaterasu was stunned and could do nothing as the imp prepared its final attack.

"Look out, Ammy! Its drum doubles as a cannon!" Issun managed to shout. There was a loud explosion and a lot of smoke but Amaterasu was not harmed. Something went wrong with the powder and the weapon backfired, knocking the yellow imp back. The imp tried to climb back onto its feet but failed, its leg was broken from the fall.

Amaterasu saw the weakness in her foe. She struggled to get up but something stopped her. Just as she got back up, she was knocked back onto the ground by a foot. Issun had jumped onto her side to launch himself into the air, his sword raised. With a terrific battle cry, Issun used gravity and momentum to drive Denkomaru deep into the imp's chest. The imp died instantly, leaving Issun panting for air.

Amaterasu swung her legs and rocked herself back onto her feet, her tail wagging profusely as she ran over to Issun's side. She was so overjoyed that he wasn't harmed that she knocked him over in her eagerness. Her tail wagged so hard that it nearly knocked her over too.

"I'm fine, furball!" Issun struggled to say while holding her excited kisses back. "Stop licking me, I'll get soaked!"

Amaterasu continued to lick Issun's face all over, giving him a healthy coating of drool before letting him up. Issun pulled his sleeve down on his arm and wiped the slobber off of his face with a grimace. He didn't like slobber much.

"Well, now that we got that over with, we should go get that Guardian Sapling back in order, huh?" Issun nodded to Amaterasu. She took a few steps back to let him stand.

Issun walked over to the dead yellow imp and pulled his sword from the creature's chest. It was covered in blood. Issun frowned again, wiping the blade off on the grass before placing it back in its scabbard. He looked up at the Guardian Sapling and how pathetic it seemed. Was the whole world suffering like this? How much longer was this going to go on? The curse seemed powerful enough to have spread everywhere, but where in the world had it come from? A frown creased his brow.

Amaterasu wandered towards the tree, leaving Issun.

"Hey, where do you think you're going without me?" Issun shouted, running after her and jumping onto her back. She looked back at him. "Don't ditch me or I'll shave off your fur."

Amaterasu and Issun made their way to the Guardian Sapling just as the sun began to set. _Good timing… _Issun thought. He was getting tired and there wouldn't be a much safer place to sleep than a newly revived Guardian Sapling. They crossed a bridge across a small canyon between where they walked on the path and the island of earth that the Guardian Sapling stood on.

Issun jumped off of Amaterasu and looked around the area, there was a perfect view of the land below. The extent of the curse was worse to look at from above. Every time Issun looked into its depths, he thought of the power it would take to fuel it. Everything was dead or frozen as a statue in time. At least they knew how to combat the cursed zones.

Amaterasu walked with a purpose up to the Guardian Sapling, a gentle breeze blowing through her fur. Her white form seemed to glow in the blazing light of the setting sun. She stopped and stared into the sun's fiery face before taking a deep breath and resting her paw on one of the roots. The pulse of green light shot through the tree twice, and then reverberated into the ground. It passed under Issun, making him stop to watch the miraculous rebirth of Taka Pass.

The pulse of green cascaded over the cliff like a magnificent waterfall of life. The grey of the land was replaced with green. Spiraling turrets of green light sprung up as trees and bamboo grew from the ground once more. Bushes and flowers bloomed from the earth. Animals, frozen or even dead, began to move. They stretched themselves out and danced around, praising the gods for their rescue. Unlike humans, animals never stopped praising the gods.

The pulses of green lashed against the clouds of evil that hung over the land. The black evil shot into the air and dissipated, leaving behind not a trace of evil from the land. Issun smiled as everything returned to the way that he remembered. The land was beautiful in the golden light of the setting sun.

Amaterasu joined Issun on the edge of the cliff, looking around at everything below from a vantage point most wolves never get to see. Issun patted the over attentive wolf on the back of the neck and scratched her shoulders.

"We'll go explore the place tomorrow, I promise. Now, we need to get some sleep. We've had one heck of a day with that Spider Queen and those imps… and the fruity idiot…" Issun frowned again.

Amaterasu looked over at him questioningly. As much as she liked Issun, and she thought rather highly of her friend, she would never understand him.

Issun patted her again and walked back over to the Guardian Sapling and sat on one of its roots. Amaterasu joined him. She hunched her neck and tried to pull the Astral Pouch off of her shoulders, but she needed Issun's help. He pulled it off and set it on the ground. Amaterasu let out a loud yawn and then curled up on the grass by the tree. Issun leaned against the trunk of the Guardian Sapling and closed his eyes. It didn't take him long to realize that he was being watched by a pair of piercing eyes. He opened his own quickly to find that Amaterasu was staring directly at him.

"…Whut?" Issun asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the look that he was being given.

Amaterasu grunted as she lay further on one side, exposing more of her warm belly to Issun invitingly.

"You want me to sleep with you?" Issun asked slowly.

Amaterasu's tail thumped against the ground.

Issun smiled and curled up next to Amaterasu's warm, soft belly. It was incredibly comfortable. Amaterasu seemed to enjoy it to. She heaved a heavy sigh and closed her eyes, cuddling around him like she would if he was her pup. He laughed inwardly at this behavior before falling asleep. The two of them didn't notice the strange rosary beads that were lying just beneath their bodies, unearthed by the power of the gods after being hidden for so long…

_Issun was standing in the strangest place he had ever seen. There was a wide open field of simple grasses with a few rocks and bushes placed here and there. Gardens outlined by rock were aligned with some design in mind around the area. Ponds littered the ground as well, some man made, others natural. Some of the natural ponds had spouts of water that fell from the sky into them… no, they fell from hovering chunks of rock that poured water from them. In the distance were mountains and spires of the strangest, most impossible shapes. Islands floated lazily overhead and below. There were even some buildings on the floating islands._

___To Issun's right was a grove of trees that he had never seen before. Further through the trees were stone stairs and a great arch that lead to a towering and beautiful civilization. It was proud and strong… no, it was falling apart… there was fire and screaming echoing from the city. The sky was black from smoke and, when Issun looked up, the solar eclipse. He thought about running to the city. He had to help them. Strange figures flew overhead of the city while large black forms ran through the streets, chasing the citizens._

_ Issun had to go and help them, there was nothing for it… but then he became aware of a horrible creature that stood to his left. It looked vaguely familiar with its eight serpentine heads that seemed to be connected to a shrine with a large bell mounted upon it. The monstrous creature seemed to be pushing two figures towards a cliff… Issun figured that he must be at some extremely high altitude; there was no horizon of land beyond the edge of the cliff, just sky. Even the clouds appeared to be lower than they were._

_ Something else that suddenly identified with Issun was one of the figures that the monster seemed to be pursuing. Its pure white fur and crimson markings were unmistakable._

_ "Ammy…!" Issun shouted out._

_ Amaterasu stood proudly in front of the beast. Her stance suggested that she was guarding something as well as the look in her face. Something was different about her. Her markings were more intricate, tendrils of light flared from her body like the rays of the sun, but she seemed to be growing weaker… not just because of the horrible bleeding wounds that covered her body._

_ Issun then realized that they were not the only ones on the plain. There were thousands of soldiers attacking demons and monsters of all sizes. There was a small crowd around the beast that stalked Amaterasu as well. The beast paid them no attention as all of the heads were focused on Amaterasu and the figure beyond her. It spoke to Amaterasu about something and Amaterasu leapt to attack. The battle that followed was frightening to say the least. The power displayed by both forces was too much for Issun to register in his half-dazed state._

_ Despite the amazing power displayed, Amaterasu was losing. She grew weaker and weaker from every attack. The figure behind her pleaded for her to stop, to run away. Issun wanted her to flee as well._

_ "Run, Amaterasu! Run and save yourself!" Issun shouted almost in time with the figure._

_ Amaterasu ignored them both and continued to battle though she hardly had the strength to stand. She staggered on her feet as blood and drool poured from her maw. Despite her pathetic appearance, the fire in her eyes had all but tripled in strength. She was determined to die there if she must._

_ Issun could sense the anguish and horror from Amaterasu's most imminent defeat radiate from the figure. Whoever that person was, they felt such strong emotions of love and loyalty to her that it was practically visible to Issun. Unable to bear it any longer, the figure stood and jumped in front of Amaterasu, drawing their weapons on the beast. The figure fought instead of the dying Amaterasu. She did not want the figure to fight, that was obvious. She could do nothing to stop him now; she couldn't even find the strength to catch herself when she toppled over onto her side._

_ The sight of the fallen Amaterasu enraged the figure beyond what Issun believed possible for emotion. The rage and grief consumed the figure completely; its emotions were so readable. With strength found in their emotions, the figure fought the monstrous eight-headed creature. Though highly skilled and powerful, the figure stood no chance against the demonic power of the creature. It swatted him aside like a fly._

_ The figure hit the ground and skidded towards the very edge of the cliff, nearly toppling off. The creature lunged to deal the final blow; all seemed lost for the brave warrior._

_ A blinding white light threw itself in front of the attack of the monster. Amaterasu had used what little remained of her strength to take the blow for the figure. The attack knocked her clear over the side of the cliff and she fell…_


	16. Chapter 16

Issun woke the next day feeling even more tired than he did before. He rubbed the back of his neck and groaned as he sat up. He couldn't remember his entire dream, but he felt like it had been a big one. It nagged in the back of his mind; he knew it was important for some reason…

Amaterasu rolled over right on top of him.

"AH! Furball, get off…! You're crushing me…!" Issun gasped for air. He tried to pull himself out from under Amaterasu's huge body but had no luck. He started to pound his fist on her desperately. "I… can't breathe!"

Amaterasu yawned lazily and stretched, taking her sweet time before waking up. She didn't look like she had gotten a very good night's sleep either. She stood up sleepily and hobbled over to the tree to stare at it blankly.

Once freed from Amaterasu's body weight, Issun gasped for air, clutching his chest. He rolled over onto his stomach and put his face in the ground, being overdramatic about what he was sure was a near-death experience. Just then, something caught his eyes. He sat up and picked up a necklace of strange beads with carvings in each one. They read as "dream, sleep, etc..."

"Hey, Ammy! Look at this." Issun held the beads out for her to look at.

Amaterasu wandered back over to Issun and sniffed the beads in his hands. After a long pause, Amaterasu licked the beads up into her mouth.

"BAD WOLF!" Issun gave her a smart smack on the head.

Amaterasu swiftly dropped the beads on the ground and hunched over in submission.

Issun picked the beads up with his thumb and pointer finger carefully. The drool coating the beads was not enticing in the least. He wiped the beads off on the leg of his pants and held them up again.

"I bet these are the Dream Beads that half-baked prophet kept talking about." Issun said, looking at them again.

As Issun stared into the carvings on the beads, something in his mind turned. He had a flash back to his dream from that night for only a fraction of a second and then it was gone. He saw Amaterasu, the horrible creature, and the unknown figure shrouded in darkness.

"Hey, Ammy… Did you have a really freakish dream last night?" Issun asked, looking back up at her.

She whined in response.

"So did I. I bet these things let me share your dream with you!" Issun said. He was happy to have part of the puzzle solved, but he paused. "…what was that dream about, Ammy?"

Amaterasu whimpered and scooted away, looking sad.

"Alright, I won't bring it up." Issun patted her gently. "It must be really hard for you to go through everything that you did. I'd have nightmares too if I had to battle the evil that you had to."

Amaterasu licked his cheek quickly.

"…it was just a dream, wasn't it?" Issun asked.

Amaterasu stood up and trotted down the path, eager to explore Taka Pass now that it was morning.

"Stop walking away when I'm trying to talk to you! What I have to say is important-don't ignore me!" Issun ran after her. Before he did, he grabbed the Astral Pouch and put the Dream Beads around his neck. He didn't want to upset Amaterasu anymore, but he had to know what was going on with her mind and what happened in her past. Since she didn't talk, he figured using the Dream Beads would be the easiest alternative.

Once Issun caught up, he jumped safely onto her back and let her take over and go where she felt like first. She had a good time exploring the area like a dog. She sniffed the rocks and trees happily, giving Issun time to plan their next move.

Of course, they should go to Kusa Village and see what they could do to help. On the other hand, Kusa Village had its own shrine and priests; they should be fine on their own for a while. Taka Pass was an interesting place that lead to even more interesting places. He wanted to do a bit of exploring, and he wanted to be sure that everything was back to normal before going on. He figured that it would be bad for a goddess to shirk even a sliver of her responsibilities. He wouldn't admit that he cared for the wellbeing of the people; he was supposed to hate people. Caring was for the women.

"You know? I'm hungry. Remember that little road-side restaurant that we saw in the cursed zone? I bet that would be a great place to stop for some breakfast. Maybe we can get a free meal out of it too since we got rid of the cursed zone. It's just right over there." Issun said. He pointed Amaterasu in the direction of the small building alongside the road below them. Smoke was billowing merrily out of the chimney, proving that they were back in business.

Amaterasu barked in agreement and turned towards the edge of the drop-off.

"Whoa, where are you going, furball?" Issun asked nervously as she started to run towards the wooden guard rail that protected people from falling to their death about twenty or thirty feet below. Amaterasu didn't seem to be listening as of yet. "Turn around; we're going to go over the fence! TURN AROOOOUU-!"

Issun's words dissolved into screams as Amaterasu simply jumped over the edge and fell towards the ground. He clung to her neck tightly, still screaming, while she enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing though her fur. She let her tongue dangle out of her mouth as she went.

Her landing was a bit rough but it looked graceful. Issun jolted into the back of Amaterasu's neck when they came in contact with the ground again. She continued to run as though nothing had happened. Issun remained clinging to her like a baby monkey, his eyes wide in fear. He didn't even notice that they had already made it to the restaurant and Amaterasu was standing outside the door, wagging her tail. IF there was one thing that Amaterasu would do anything for, it was food.

Issun slid off her back and landed on the ground on his own. "If you EVER do that again…"

"Oh, look! Customers!" A man poked his head through the door happily.

The man was very strange with an oddly shaped head and a pink kimono with dumpling decorations on it. He was very pleasant and cheerful, though. Issun sat up and looked at the man.

"I assume that you're here to have some breakfast." The man said cheerfully.

"Yeah, we are. Do you serve large wolves here?" Issun had to ask because Amaterasu was drooling all over the ground at the scent of food.

"Only if they can afford the meal!" The man laughed. Issun smiled. He was glad he wouldn't have to haul Amaterasu away now. He reached into the Astral Pouch and pulled out a coin purse. He withdrew plenty of money for the both of them to have a nice, big breakfast.

"Will this do?" Issun asked as he handed the money over.

"Certainly! I'll get right on it! Feel free to come inside and get confortable. If your wolf can't fit, you can move a table over to the door and I will serve it food through the doorway!" The man practically skipped inside.

He was too overly cheerful for Issun's liking, but they would only be here for a short bit. He'd have to sit through it. Besides, the smells floating on the air from the kitchen told him it would be worth it.

It wasn't long before the man came back out and gave them both heaping plates of delicious food. Amaterasu began devouring hers even before it was set on the ground. While Issun ate, the man sat at a table next to him and began to explain his life story. Issun didn't pay much attention.

"…and that's why I started out just selling tea here, but I decided to hire a cook because there is even more money to be had from selling food to hungry travelers such as yourself." He finished.

"Mmm." Issun replied with a mouthful of food.

"Actually, I have something to ask you two…" The man lowered his voice and leaned forward. "Not too long ago, I got this really nasty feeling in my heart, I felt like I was getting sick. Then this weird fog started to roll in from the Agata Forest and everything started to die! The next thing I knew, it was all gone. You wouldn't have happened to see what might have gotten rid of it, do you?"

Issun though for a moment. How could he word his answer to benefit them but keep their exploits low profile as well? "I think it might have been some divine intervention to clear off something as bad as what you say."

"The gods be praised!" The man said excitedly. The seconds he uttered this phrase, Amaterasu froze and a white light shone briefly from her. She shook herself off once she returned to normal and continued eating. The man didn't seem to notice, but Issun saw it. He also took note of the healthier glow of her coat and how much stronger she looked.

Issun quickly scooted over to Amaterasu and spoke to her in a low whisper.

"I figure you might already be aware of this… or maybe not because you're none too bright… but everyone here on earth is kinda leading their own lives without too much concern with the gods. They pretty much do whatever they want. That might account for some of the loss of your godly powers; people just don't praise or worship the gods anymore. The more good stuff you do for people, the happier they'll be. The happier people are, the more likely they will be to stop what they're doing to worship the gods. It's probably in your best interest to do some little things now and again alongside the obvious exorcism or land-cleansing." Issun explained to her.

Amaterasu wagged her tail. This wasn't a problem for her, she liked to help people. She liked people in general, actually.

Issun and Amaterasu finally finished their meal, paid the overly happy man, and went on their way down the path. The day was turning out to be simply beautiful. The sky was clear, the sun was shining and warming the earth, and every living thing was celebrating the absence of the curse. Issun sat lazily upon Amaterasu's back, looking over the map.

"Well there isn't too much out here settlement wise except for Kusa Village. That's down the road a ways and on the fork to the left. There is also a fabled mermaid spring near there too; we could check that out too. I won't bother with the history until you see one for yourself.

"The fork in the middle leads to the city checkpoint which will take us to the capital. We're going to want to go there eventually but we'll save that one for later. It's a bit of a walk and I'm not up to all that traveling quite yet. The fork to the right is supposed to lead to a secret sanctuary where only the purest of heart can enter and enjoy… needless to say; there aren't many people that can visit these days." Issun went on to say.

Amaterasu stopped in the middle of the road, looking off towards the right. The path led downwards, cutting through the earth as it sloped down quite a ways to an old and dilapidated house surrounded by a rotting fence and an archway. Issun peered down at the house too.

"Weird… it's not mentioned on the map. Let's go check it out." Issun said. He put the map back into the Astral Pouch while Amaterasu changed directions for the house. The closer they got the stranger Issun felt. He knew there was something wrong. As they passed under the arch, the air seemed heavier and even darker.

Amaterasu seemed to be feeling the effects too. Her ears lowered and she looked around more frequently. The air was full of a foreboding feeling, like something unseen was trying to warn them to stay away.

In front of the dilapidated, old house stood a hunched old woman. She didn't seem as much mean as some old women should, she leaked a feeling of evil, especially from the large woven basket she carried on her back. She wore an off pink kimono that seemed like she ever bothered to wash. There were some dark stains in her clothing that Issun didn't wish to think about. Her stringy white hair was tied back into a bun and held in place with what looked like a pair of scissors. Everything about the look of the place, to the rancid smell of the air, and the woman herself made Issun and Amaterasu highly on edge. They knew that there was something seriously wrong with this place.

At first the old woman didn't notice the intruders, she was too busy muttering and pacing about to see them. Soon, she looked up to see them and a dark grin spread across her face.

"Oh, look at this…" The old woman eyed Amaterasu with her tiny, evil eyes glinting in hunger. "What a very large and muscular beast."

"Yeah… uhm… is everything alright out here…?" Issun asked, now fully aware of the fact that they should not have come down to the house to investigate.

"We are fine… my husband and I are fine… but we are very hungry… He left to find us a meal. We haven't been eating well, lately… food seems to… escape our grasp sometimes… Imagine how happy he will be when he comes home to find a big, juicy wolf cooking in the stewpot." The old woman said with a malicious grin.

"What?" Issun exclaimed.

Amaterasu took a step backwards in fear, her fur bristling automatically.

The woman pulled a cleaver out from behind her back and raised it into the air. She ran at Amaterasu and Issun with a speed that no woman her age should possess naturally. Amaterasu yelped in fear and ran in the opposite direction. She ran back out onto the main road and kept going, not bothering to look back or slow down in case of what might happen if she did.

Once Amaterasu did stop, they were by the fork in the road that Issun had spoken of previously. Issun shifted on Amaterasu's back, his heart still racing as he checked to see if they had been followed. Nothing.

"I think we lost her…" Issun said slowly, clutching his chest. The two of them sat there, shaking, until the last of the adrenaline drained from their systems. Amaterasu whimpered once she caught her breath.

"What in the world was that about? She just pulled her knife out on us like she was going to gut us right then and there!" Issun shouted. His best coping mechanism with stress or fear was to react with anger.

Amaterasu lay down on the ground and rested for a moment. She hated that house, she hated the smell, and that woman was very evil. Unfortunately, she would have to return. She knew that the only way to bring the land back to the way it had been for years was to iradicate as much evil as she could, and there was nothing but evil back at that old place.

"Screw this; let's just head to Kusa Village now. I don't want to risk running into that crazy woman again." Issun said

Issun pointed to the fork to the left and Amaterasu walked along the road. The path went under an arch and then began to wind up the cliff wall to the village above them. Kusa Village was placed near the top of the cliffs so it could capture all of the wind with its windmill. The windmill served as not only as a landmark, but it was also made into a shrine because it did so much for the people of the village. The windmill pumped water and grinded grains, without it the village might die off.

That was what Amaterasu and Issun were headed for. They may not have known what they might find in the village but they went ahead anyway. Little did they know that it was in a worse state than they could have ever imagined.

Well, this is as far as I got before I lost interest. I hope someday that I might get it back because I REALLY liked this story and that game… the only problem is that, while editing this, there are plots that I don't remember what I was going to do with… so if I ever did come back, it probably would never be the same story because I'd have to come up with new things. I can only remember the big important things that I put a lot of thought into… and none of the filler details… shoooooooot… Oh well, I'll get to work on the summary as soon as I can. I'll try to make it a good, long summary that just narrates the events but doesn't go into too much detail. Thanks for trying to bear with me on this, I'm so sorry that I suck. I've never finished a project in my life…


	17. Chapter 17

Quick note from the angel of death, Azrael 8D here. I wrote out the outline for my Okami story by hand and it was TEN PAGES LONG! Whoo, so much raw, untold story. Good news, I'm planning on going back and writing more of this but I don't know if it will be as good as the other part of it, my writing style changes a LOT depending on my mood and what I read or wrote last. Bad news, I probably still won't finish the dumb thing. If anyone doesn't have faith in me, please contact me via review or something to let me know that you want to read what's going to happen and I'll type you out the summary in prose form so you can know. If not, don't bother and pray that I can keep this up to finish this thing. Thanks for attempting to bear with me while I did this.


	18. Chapter 18

After re-reading all of the chapters of my story, I discovered two things. One, my paragraph breaks and separations weren't transferring onto the fanfiction website and it was leaving me confused… So I'll try to fix that so you guys aren't even more confused than I am. Two, I should never trust my computer ever again to review my work! All the weird grammar mistakes were from the stupid spell checker function! Stupid computer, why do you do this to me?

OMIGOD! Baby bunny just outside my window! It's only a foot away from me and I'm gunna die from cuteness!

Well, let's see how good I can do at trying to get back into a story. I'll admit, I've never done this before so don't hate me if it's awkward.

…

"No way…" Issun exclaimed under his breath as he observed his surroundings.

Amaterasu and he had entered Kusa Village to find the entire settlement coated in a thick, unhealthy fog. The wind that usually blew steadily through the mountain pass that held the town had stopped entirely. The mist that hung over everything was a dark green color and it sent chills down Issun's spine. This was no ordinary mist, and he knew it…

Amaterasu looked around the town and shivered. The air was foul when she breathed it in and it seemed to drain her with every exhale. She wanted to turn around and go back into Taka Pass, but she knew there was evil here and she couldn't leave the town and its inhabitants in such a miserable state so she walked onward, though very slowly as she felt short of breath.

Issun might have noticed Amaterasu's strange behavior if he wasn't distracted by the horrible scene in front of him. There were people that had dared to venture out of the safety of their homes that roamed aimlessly around the town. The looks on their faces reflected the way they trudged along the ground. Every single sad soul that was forced to live in this now miserable place was equally miserable.

Issun gravely slipped off of Amaterasu's back and proceeded ahead a ways to get a better view. He looked at the houses; all of the windows and doors were closed up tightly and not even a hint of light shown through. They passed a garden as they continued. A small girl stood with a watering can in a bed of dead flowers, trying in vain to bring them back to life. Everything seemed dead.

"I don't get it, Ammy… What happened here? This doesn't look like a cursed zone but I'll bet something really foul is behind it." Issun said spitefully as he absorbed the whole scene. "The wind should have blown all this nasty fog away, but it's entirely gone. How does a monster make wind go away?"

Amaterasu whimpered once and followed Issun as best as she could. Her breath was coming in short pants and her tongue lolled out of the side of her mouth. Every step was agony and she felt as though an invisible hand was tightening around her lungs. She couldn't breathe. She staggered once but stayed on her feet through sheer power of will. She took a moment to make sure that she wouldn't fall again and followed Issun further through the village.

Much to Amaterasu's horror, they came upon a large structure; a walkway built along the side of a cliff that lead upward to another study ledge on the cliff. Beyond that stood the giant windmill that doubled as the shrine. They would have to climb the walkway to get to their destination. Amaterasu wasn't sure if she could make it all the way to the top but she followed Issun loyally all the same.

Issun looked over his shoulder once they moved further up the walkway at the pitiful town. He was desperate to know what could have possibly done this to the village. _Weren't these guys supposed to have a priest and a priestess? What the heck are they doing right now about this whole awful mess? Don't they care about their village being messed with like this…?_ Issun thought angrily. When he got to the shrine, he'd be sure to give them a good piece of his mind.

They made it to the top of the walkway at last. Amaterasu's eyes were wide from the effort and her breaths were coming out in loud chokes. Her chest heaved powerfully in an attempt to suck more air, but it felt like it wasn't doing any good. Her vision was fading; blurring and swimming back and forth from darkness to light. She was barely aware of Issun calling her name.

"Ammy! Ammy, are you alright?" Issun shouted, running over to her. Why hadn't he noticed this before? Surely, she didn't happen on this condition in merely moments. He grabbed her large head and forced her to look in his eyes. He saw hers going in and out of focus and saliva poured out of her mouth in bubbly strands. With one great heaving breath, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the earth below her.

"Ammy!" Issun screamed, kneeling down beside her. He shook her hard, willing her to wake. "Get up! PLEASE, get up! Come on, Furball! GET UP!"

Amaterasu made no response.

Fear worked its way into every part of Issun's consciousness. Was she sick? Was the great goddess about to die? What would the world do if she were to pass away here? He should have taken better care of her. Amaterasu was obviously dim, why hadn't Issun done a better job of watching over her? It was the least he could have done for a goddess. To make matters worse, he hadn't really ever shown her proper respect with all the rude names he had called her previously.

Issun hung his head, fisting some of her soft, white hair. He clung to it so hard his knuckles paled and his arm shook.

"What have I done…?" Issun whispered quietly.

Amaterasu's fur suddenly began to dull, the white glow disappearing into the fog. Issun looked up and watched in shock as the great white wolf shrunk to the size of a normal wolf. The crimson markings drained away and she became a normal wolf, like what she had appeared to be when he first met her. The Astral Pouch and Tsumugari also faded away and disappeared.

_She isn't dead; this mist is draining her divine power! This is no normal fog, it's a cursed zone!_ Issun suddenly realized. He jumped to his feet and placed a hand on his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. His eyes swiveled around quickly, searching. He knew that there would be demons nearby, waiting to take Amaterasu now that she was too weak to even move. A short, shuddering breath behind Issun told him that he only had mere minutes to clear the curse by himself before Amaterasu was claimed by its evil.

"Hold on, Ammy… I got this one…" Issun reassured her determinedly.

This required some very quick thinking on Issun's part, something that he wasn't particularly fond of. He had a short temper and an impulsive mindset. He had to fight himself inwardly to prevent himself from blindly running into the fog out of rage and leaving Amaterasu unprotected.

_ Let's see… this entire area is a cursed zone… but it isn't very strong. Whatever started this must have stopped the winds from blowing so the curse wouldn't blow away as well… that means whatever is causing this isn't quite as strong as whatever made those other curses we've seen before… It also looks like I'm the only person who isn't really affected by it, so it's up to me to stop this or Ammy is a goner. THINK, ISSUN! That much is obvious…! Good gods in heaven know this was never my strong-suit… ah… this place has a shrine… so that would have to be the first place a demon would have to take over to make sure that nothing stood in its way to make a cursed zone like this… so whatever is causing this should be in the shrine, holding down the fort! _

Issun bent over and picked Amaterasu up. She wasn't her normal huge self but she was still a full grown wolf and very heavy. He struggled with her in his arms as he slowly made his way down the path that he assumed led to the windmill shrine. He had to hurry, for Amaterasu's sake. Her breathing was becoming slower and quieter.

Issun walked onwards until he came to a set of stone steps. He looked up at the daunting obstacle with remorse and anger, but he gritted his teeth and began climbing them slowly.

"When you wake up, you are going to owe me SO big…" Issun gasped out when he was about halfway up the stairway.

When Issun finally made it over the top stair, he collapsed to the ground. Amaterasu flopped limply to his side as he gasped for air, his entire body shaking from the effort he had just exerted. As he sucked air hungrily into his lungs, Issun took the time to see how far along they had gotten. From their position at the top of the stairs, Issun could see a structure nestled closely up against a cliff wall. It looked like a house. He assumed that was where the priests must live. By the house were two clear ponds that would have looked much prettier with their bridges and lily pads that adorned them if it weren't for the curse that hung in the air.

The next thing that didn't fail to impress Issun was the figure of a beautiful young woman lying weakly on the path in front of the house. Issun swiftly forgot about his exhaustion, the curse, and Amaterasu's weakened form that lay beside him. He jumped to his feet and ran to the woman's aid.

"Hey, you okay, cutie?" Issun asked as he gently helped her into a sitting position. He couldn't help but observe her body figure as he held her waist to… support her.

"Oh, this is most unfortunate…!" The girl said weakly, looking up at Issun with her big, doe eyes. The expression of sweet, innocent despair on her face was simply too much for Issun to resist.

"What's unfortunate? Just let ol' Issun handle it for ya-…" He began to say suavely, but she interrupted him.

"I've been possessed in a momentary lapse of vigilance!" The girl cried in sadness.

"You where HUH…?" Issun asked; a fearfully flabbergasted look on his face. It felt as though someone had dropped a bag of heavy stones on his head that drug him down from the sea of dreamland and beautiful maidens in distress back down to the ocean floor of reality… and he was drowning in it.

"And I was trying so HARD to defend the village…" The woman bit her knuckles softly to keep from crying. "Now it shall be reduced to a horrid cursed zone…"

"Cursed zone…" Issun echoed emptily as the situation seeped back into his consciousness, regretful to let his fantasies go.

"Alas, my strength… it wanes… all is lost…" The woman gasped before falling limp in Issun's arms.

Issun swiftly dropped her and backed up.

"This would happen to me…" He said pitifully.

A puff of purple smoke surrounded the woman and a blue imp materialized over top of the woman, its gruesome arms holding her as if to keep her trapped. The imp was much taller and more slender than a green imp, giving it a definite sinister and sickly appearance that unnerved Issun greatly. It also had a flute that it held in its mouth that was hidden by the routine paper mask that imps always bare. It looked up at Issun and shrieked loudly, signaling that it would not let its prey go. Issun took a few cautionary steps back as he frowned in fear and nervousness. This wasn't the kind of imp he and Amaterasu was used to. It stretched out its arm and in another puff of smoke, a huge kite appeared. The imp gripped its corners with its hands and its dirty, scabbed feet before a very gentle gust of wind took it into the air.

As the beast soared high above Issun, two regular green imps answered its call and jumped from the roof of the house and landed beside Issun. He was much more confident about fighting them. With a smirk, he drew his sword and quickly dispatched of one of the imps by slashing a vertical line down its front. Its companion on the ground howled and stabbed at Issun with its flute. He stopped the attack with his foot and pushed with his leg, sending the flute jabbing back at its owner. It hit the imp in the gut and knocked it to the ground. Issun stabbed his blade through its stomach.

He was just gloating about his victory when a glowing blue orb of vile energy fell from the sky. Issun barely managed to dodge it as it crashed into the earth, burning even the dirt. Issun swallowed hard and looked up into the sky just in time to see the blue imp send another attack at him. He rolled out of the way of the second attack as well.

The imp cackled from its safe position in the sky as it sent attack after attack at Issun. It was all he could do but to dodge them. _This is getting me nowhere…_ Issun thought as he jumped out of the way of another orb. This one hit a rock, leaving a large black spot on its face and a small plume of smoke that drifted into the air. Looking back at the rock that could have easily been him, Issun swallowed hard and made a break for the trees. The imp hooted wildly and followed him, sending more of its deadly attacks at him. It suddenly stopped and veered off course, screeching angrily.

Issun leaned against the tree and looked up at the imp, wondering why hadn't continued following him. All he could see were the branches of the tree…_ That's it! _Issun thought jovially, _He didn't want to rip his kite! It fights from the air because it's a thin and pathetic weakling. If I can get him down, I'd kick his butt easy!_

Issun let a wide smile spread quickly across his face as he jumped into one of the tree branches. The imp watched in curious anger as Issun climbed. Once he thought he was high enough, Issun ran across one of the branches as nimbly as a squirrel. Before the imp could realize what he was doing, Issun had used all of his strength to launch himself off of the branch, using his weight and the whiplash of the branch to propel him further, into the air at the imp. With the skill and power of Amaterasu clear in his mind, Issun raise Denkomaru over his head and, with a great battle cry, let it cut through the air.

The imp screamed and tried to dodge the Powerslash, but it caught his kite and ripped it easily in two. With a howl, the imp plummeted towards the ground headfirst. With a mighty crash, its head made contact with the packed earth of the well-trodden path. Blood splattered and the creature lay dead. Issun landed beside it and straightened up, tilting his hat and throwing back his cloak.

"I am amazing." Issun smiled pride fully.

In a flash of white light, the landscape seemed to shift while the curse was pulled out of the very air and disappeared into oblivion. The fog still hung over the village, but it had lost its sinister quality. Issun also thought he felt a small puff of air, as if the wind was trying to return as well.

Issun heard a sharp gasp and a yip and turned around to see Amaterasu awaken. She had not yet regained real size and markings, but her spunk was back. Amaterasu would recover eventually, just like she always did.

She jumped to her feet, her hackles raised as she looked around wildly. She saw the dead bodies of the imps slowly erode away into black dust that disappeared in a non-existent wind. Amaterasu cocked her head in confusion and sniffed at the disappearing bodies.

"Ya don't have to worry, furball. I showed those guys who's boss. Demons will think twice about messing with the great and powerful Issun from now on." Issun bragged while he twirled his sword lazily, trying to show that it had taken him no effort to do what he just did. With one toss of his sword, he caught it and stuck the sharp end in the ground. He laughed pride fully as he looked over at her, leaning on Denkomaru's hilt.

Amaterasu was stretched out on her back, looking quite comfortable as she dozed. Her front paws were curled into her chest, which rose and fell gently as she breathed softly. One of her paws twitched and she sighed.

Denkomaru slipped out of Issun's grasp and he fell onto the ground.

"WAKE UP, YA USELESS FURBALL!" Issun jumped to his feet and attempted to kick Amaterasu in the side. As his foot came down on her, she rolled to her side in her nap and Issun missed. The momentum of his kick sent his leg up and he fell backwards once again.

With an infuriated scream, he grabbed ahold of the fur and skin on her neck and began to shake her, screaming curses in her face. Amaterasu made a whimpering sound that wavered every time her head snapped backwards and forwards from Issun's abuse. He'd never let her know, but he might have cried with relief that she was okay.

….

YAY! I can't even believe that I could do that! Someone is going to have to tell me EXACTLY how this chapter went because I feel like it was horrible. If it wasn't, I'll keep on writing. If it was, I'll stop and study my old style a bit more before making the next chapter.

Hoorah Issun, you aren't totally useless! You're still an idiot, but you aren't a useless idiot!

…WAKA! …Sorry… he wasn't in this chapter at all and it makes me a bit sad… but it isn't his time to shine quite yet. But fear not for every dog has his day! Hehe, dog… cuz Ammy is a wolf… Shut up!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19, who would have thought it…?**

**Oh gosh, I just remembered that chapter 14 had a booboo in it! Part of the story disappeared and I don't have a clue where it went. I tried to revise it and put that part back in but I don't know if it worked, my computer isn't very helpful. If it didn't work, it's the part where Issun and Amaterasu were crossing the bridge into Taka Pass after saying goodbye to Kokari. The bridge broke and Ammy grabbed Issun by the butt to keep him from falling in the river. Yes, breaking bridges is going to be a theme that will be addressed by Issun later on. Sorry that I just now decided to mention that…**

**I also noticed that my strategy for keeping my comments separate from the story isn't working very well… dang it… **

**I feel like this chapter stinks even worse than the last one I attempted. This is me trying to be funny again, dang it. Oh well, I'm just trying to get the story out. I'm not looking to be on Comedy Central or anything. XD**

**Forgive me. **

…...

A soft groan brought Issun and Amaterasu back to the reality of what was going on. The young woman was stirring on the ground where she lay.

Issun was at her side in a heartbeat to help her back into a sitting position. She gave him something of a grateful smile when he held his hand on her back to keep her steady. Amaterasu followed Issun to her side, though she was nowhere near as fast about it as he was. She sat at the woman's other side and watched her carefully. She had a pink kimono on and eight very strange orbs were floating around behind her. Amaterasu found them very distracting but Issun hadn't seemed to notice them yet.

"Have I been freed from the evil curse…?" The woman asked in her light voice, looking around. Her movements reminded Amaterasu of long grass swaying in the wind. The woman's entire body flowed gracefully with her smallest movement. Amaterasu found it strange, but Issun found it to be wonderful.

"Yes, you have. The monster that held you within its evil grasp was strong and fearsome. Do not feel saddened that you were trapped so easily by its dark power; I have never seen it's equal. I battled with it for hours, but I was not tired, no… for you, I could have fought into the night…!" Issun told her. He might have been stretching the truth slightly, but it couldn't hurt anything, could it?

The young woman wasn't listening, however. She was too busy petting Amaterasu.

"What a pretty white wolf, and so kind hearted and sweet as well…!" The woman cooed as she scratched Amaterasu behind the ear. Amaterasu leaned into the woman's hand, her tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly from the pleasure of being scratched in one of her favorite spots. Her tail thumped hard against the ground, sending up small clouds of dust.

Issun pursed his lips as he glared at Amaterasu with narrowed eyes for a moment. He pushed her away swiftly, forcing the woman to return her attention to him.

"Yes! I saved you…" Issun said again, but with his original thunder gone, his story had much less flourish. He had Amaterasu to blame for that.

"How did you ever manage…?" The woman asked cluelessly.

Issun frowned, not wanting to go through the less that true story once again. Instead, he simply shrugged.

"What happened, sweetness?" Issun asked once he helped the woman to her feet. Amaterasu took the initiative to sit on the woman's side to keep her from tipping over, or just to rest.

"Are you familiar with my family, the Satomi house?" The woman looked over at Issun with big eyes, immediately and most likely unknowingly changing the subject.

"…Uhm…" Issun's brow furrowed. This girl was pretty and all, but she was definitely making the impression of being none too bright. He didn't quite know how to respond to her question.

Ignoring Issun's awkward silence, the woman continued seamlessly, as if she had planned to keep talking whether Issun made an answer or not. "No… I can see now that you are not. Still, you may be of great service to me yet."

_Service, huh? I can go for that…_ Issun smiled broadly, a few quick fantasies running through his mind.

Amaterasu looked at Issun. She didn't understand how Issun called her spacy when he himself got a blank expression while looking at girls. Where they really all that wonderful to behold? She found herself curious and so she sniffed at the woman's kimono; she smelled of incense and dog food. Odd. She withdrew her nose with a confused expression.

"Will you not listen to what I have to say?" The woman asked, flashing her eyes between her dark eyelashes.

"You just keep talkin', pretty lady. Issun's listening." Issun said with his best suave voice.

Amaterasu began to worry that something might be wrong with Issun. She walked over to him and whined, pawing at his leg and tilting her head. She wasn't used to being this small in comparison with him, but she would make do.

Issun nudged her away with his leg. "Not now, furball! I'm about to score big time with this babe!"

Amaterasu sat on the ground a few feet away as confused as ever.

"Oh, thank you!" The woman said joyously. She reached over and pulled Issun into a large hug. He smirked broadly, blood rushing to his face as she held him. There was one great advantage to being shorter…

The woman eventually pulled away, beaming gracefully at Issun who was still in a trance-like state from the hug. "I'm Princess Fuse, priestess of the Gale Shrine."

"P-priestess…!" Issun stuttered. It felt like the thick air was choking him and pulling him down to the ground. He couldn't breathe. Issun staggered a moment and hunched over, letting out a melodramatic sigh. He always had the absolute worst luck… He noticed Amaterasu had moved from her spot. Her nose was in his face and she was staring at him intently. She let out a single whine and inclined her head once. "Yeah, shut up…!"

"The Gale Shrine stands atop Mount Kamiji." Princess Fuse gracefully inclined her flowing hand to where the shrine was located; her body seemed to follow her arm. Amaterasu and Issun both followed her arm. Her movements were a bit distracting.

"Kazegami, the god of the wind is enshrined there." Princess Fuse continued to explain in her melodious voice.

"A god of wind, eh? You don't suppose that might be one of your missing techniques, Furball?" Issun crossed his arms with an adventurous smile on his face. Things got more interesting.

Amaterasu let out a bark of agreement and wagged her tail.

"The wind that blows there keeps the monsters away. Known as the Divine Wind, it is venerated as our protector. However, it stopped blowing one day. That has allowed monsters to sneak into our village. Even I, the last remaining priestess here, was nearly slain. That horrible monster is behind all of this!" Princess Fuse began to sob into her hands; her entire body shook with her sobs.

"All of the priests were killed, by what?" Issun asked, his eyes widening. The situation was indeed bleaker than he had originally gathered. Sure, he had sensed an abnormal evil when they entered the village, but he had not thought it to be particularly powerful. However, if it had been the cause of the death of priests, he and Amaterasu could be up against more than they had originally bargained for.

"There is only one explanation for why the wind stopped." Princess Fuse immediately stopped crying as if she had never begun in the first place.

With his questions once again completely ignored, Issun stood there as if slapped across the face. Was this becoming a pattern?

"It was that horrible beast, Crimson Helm!" Princess Fuse said spitefully, turning her head dramatically to the side as though she could not bear to hear herself say the name.

Amaterasu's fur on her back prickled slightly. Something buried deep in her subconscious awoke, however slightly. She knew that name-Crimson Helm-but she could not remember where. All she knew was that it was equated in her mind with anger and sadness. She strained to remember… she had to remember… she was so close…!

Issun had been watching Amaterasu ever since a small growl had rumbled from within her at the mention of this monster, Crimson Helm. Was she trying to recall something? Did she know this creature from her mysterious past? Did the monster have something to do with the strange dream that they had shared? He watched her intently as she tried to focus; her strain was obvious in her face. He had never seen her concentrate this hard ever before! Then-…! She lost interest and her eyes followed a bird that flew overhead. Issun threw his head back in aggravation. He should have known better than to trust her to think.

Knowing that he couldn't rely on Amaterasu, who was now rolling in the dirt to relieve an itch on her back, Issun turned to Princess Fuse, deliberately ignoring everything about Amaterasu in spite. "Could you tell us more about this thing, Crimson Helm?"

"The beast now dwells within the Gale Shrine. The monsters in this area have all been under Crimson Helm's control ever since he appeared in Taka Pass about one hundred years ago. My people, the Satomi House, keepers of the Gale Shrine have been battling the beast and his minions ever since." Princess Fuse explained with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Last year, the fiends came and attacked the head priest while he was weakened by sickness, and the Gale Shrine fell into their hands. To celebrate their victory, they even sacrificed the head priest to Crimson Helm to be devoured."

Anger bubbled up from within Issun's gut. Attacking a sickened man; that was beyond low. He may not have taken much from his past, but Issun had departed his home with the wisdom of his grandfather and a very strict code of honor that all warriors, especially swordsmen must follow. It was a special credo that the valiant wielders of the blade were expected to conform to. His grandfather had said that there was a time that this code was respected by all, even the demons. Issun knew very well that both humans and demons had broken the code long ago, but Issun had scarcely heard of something this awful. To attack a sickened enemy and then refuse to give him the proper respect for the dead…

"I can't stand for this!" Issun announced.

Amaterasu and Princess Fuse looked at him in confusion.

"I knew demons were low and dirty, but for a greater demon to treat a powerful adversary with such disrespect is intolerable. As an artist and a swordsman, I will not allow this blatant offence to the ancient warrior code of honor to continue." Issun drew his sword. "I swear by my blade, Denkomaru, that Crimson Helm and his lackeys will pay."

Amaterasu barked determinedly and jumped into the air, spinning once in excitement. To see Issun so passionate about avenging lives and to protect the peace made her feel inspired as well. Even though she was still weak and nowhere near ready to fight anything, Amaterasu was already determined to begin fulfilling Issun's oath.

It seemed that Princess Fuse was also inspired by Issun, but her inspiration swiftly died and turned into depression. "If only I could vanquish Crimson Helm and free the Gale Shrine… But I am no match for the evil barrier that bars entry."

The arm that held Denkomaru in the air flopped to Issun's side. "Barrier…"

The moment had died instantly and Issun's plan had been crushed; even Amaterasu moaned in deflation.

"Couldn't have mentioned that one a bit sooner, could you, sweetness…?" Issun muttered with a trace of malice in his voice. He couldn't insult a priestess full on for stupidity, but he could think it.

"There is only one hope now." Princess Fuse said distantly.

"Spit it out, we're willing to try anything!" Issun said.

Amaterasu barked in agreement.

"Only the warriors that serve the Satomi House can right this wrong." Princess Fuse explained.

Issun was starting to grow somewhat impatient with Princess Fuse. _She ignores my questions and she takes forever to get to the point… COME ON, TELL US ALREADY!_ Issun screamed mentally as the priestess continued to unintentionally build unnecessary suspense.

"Our last remaining hope for defeating Crimson Helm are the Satomi Canine Warriors!" Princess Fuse announced to the heavens.

Issun finally snapped. "CANINE WARRIORS?"

Amaterasu moaned and lay on the dirt, covering her face with her paws.

"Canine warriors, whaaa-…? Come ON, you have GOT to be kidding me! What's a bunch of flea bitten mutts going to do against a powerful demon! We're dead, we're all dead…" Issun ranted as he walked around. The weight of their imminent failure began to sink in and he leaned up against the tree. This woman was going to kill them both and not have the slightest inkling about it. "Gods, whyyyy…?"

"The Canine Warriors have protected the shrine and served the Satomi house for ages…!" Princess Fuse said quickly, hoping to instill the duo with the courage she had meant to inspire from the beginning.

"OLD DOGS!" Issun screeched and he fell to his knees, hitting his head on the trunk of the tree. He muttered about his funeral preparations while Amaterasu tucked her tail between her legs. "I can't see how this could POSSIBLY go wrong…! We're all going to die."

"Well, it has been a very long time since they have been needed… so they are scattered all over Nippon. If we could bring them back together, they could break the barrier and retake the shrine." Princess Fuse said distantly.

Issun jumped to his feet and rushed over to Princess Fuse, his eyes wide. "Get the dogs…!"

Princess Fuse leaned away from Issun slightly, since he was in her face. Amaterasu grabbed Issun by the seat of the pants and drug him backwards to give Princess Fuse more space, but his crazed expression didn't change.

"I have summoned them… but I have yet to receive word of their coming…" Princess Fuse said sadly, covering her mouth in one of her dainty hands as if to prevent herself from crying.

Issun leaned over and whispered to Amaterasu. "I can't say that I blame them for staying away…"

"I sense their presence nearby but I have yet to find them. What if they were attacked, or injured, or even worse…! I beg you, please sniff out their whereabouts!" Princess Fuse fell to her knees and directly addressed Amaterasu, placing a hand on either side of her face.

"Woooaaah, no can do!" Issun pulled Amaterasu away from Princess Fuse. "She's still a bit weak from the nasty air you got going on here."

"If its rest you require, there is an inn in the lower part of town. I could make it so that you can stay a night for free in order to rest up since I am asking so much of you." Princess Fuse begged them to help.

Free room and board were too good for Issun to pass up and he agreed quickly.

"Good! I would like you to begin early in the morning, we don't have much time before Crimson Helm issues another attack on the Village and I fear that we may not recover if he does…" Princess Fuse said with fear in her voice. Issun could tell that she truly cared about the people of the town below despite her airheaded behavior.

"Not to worry, Ammy here is quick to recover." Issun reassured her with a big smile while giving Amaterasu a good pat on the head. Amaterasu panted happily and angled her head up at Issun, closing her eyes to enjoy the attention. No matter how often or how little she got petted, she enjoyed it and attention from Issun was a special treat.

"This may help you." Princess Fuse handed Issun a small trinket on a dog collar.

"What is this thing…?" Issun asked as he held it up to his face to inspect it carefully and doubtfully.

"This is the Canine Tracker. It can guide you to the Canine Warriors by sensing their Chi." Princess Fuse explained.

Issun raised an eyebrow and nodded in approval. "What's up with all the tiny magical artifacts lately?"

Amaterasu pawed the ground once and gave Issun a confused look.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Issun sighed as he pocketed the Canine Tracker. Things were definitely getting weirder, but he figured that's just what happened when you decided to travel with a god or goddess.

"I sense five of the Satomi Canine Warriors here in the village. They're a temperamental bunch and don't take kindly to strangers, but they should return to me once they see the Canine Tracker. Please use it and all of your strength to find them...!" Princess Fuse waved them off.

Issun and Amaterasu headed down the same path to the walkway that would lead them back to the village while Princess Fuse continued to shout advice at them. Issun wasn't sure about Amaterasu, but he was glad that they would be spending the night at a nice place, indoors, on actual beds. Not that their previous sleeping conditions had been terrible, but it was nice to sleep in civilization with a roof over their heads and a bed. Issun also knew that their sleeping conditions would be good for Amaterasu, who desperately needed to recover from the cursed zone. She was still small and showing no signs of her true godliness.

"This is going to be a bit of a pain. Still, Princess Fuse should be happy when we get them back to her. Then we can get on to the Gale Shrine and teach that Crimson Helm a lesson!" Issun said determinedly.

Amaterasu woofed in agreement, her eyes focused and determined as well. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew about Crimson Helm previous to her meeting Princess Fuse. One thing she did know, the impending battle was personal. She would make sure that Crimson Helm fell.

"Princess Fuse might be weird and more annoying than a merchant in a marketplace… but I can't wait to see how she thanks us." Issun said with a dirty laugh.

Amaterasu could still not understand his fixation with women. Perhaps she would never know.

…

**LAME! I know. I can't get my writing to sound good. Someone please tell me honestly how I'm doing because I think I'm driving the struggle bus while pulling the fail boat on a broken trailer with this one. Encouragement and/or telling me how bad it is will help. If I'm doing well, I'll keep going. If it's horribly painful, I'll go back and do my best to fix it. Either way, you (you being the readers) win.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Weeeelp, I got into my very first car crash a few days ago. Two years of driving before I finally got the smack down… well, I gave the smack down. It was my fault and the only way for me to get over the guilt and trauma is to laugh about it. Ah, laughter… such a wonderful coping mechanism. O-O'**

**So I got farther in Okamiden and the things in the game have almost seriously altered the plot line until I closed my DS and sat there, thinking; wait, none of this part here makes ANY sense with Okami. What in the world is going on? Eh, oh well. I'll just keep my story the way it is without changing much. The most I'll probably do is put in Sugawara, but I doubt even that. He's such a BAMF as King Fury, not going to lie. I favor villains five times out of ten and I found it hard to lay down the iron paw of the Okami on him since he's a Moon Tribe brother… but I got over it for the sake of the plot that I NEED to get through.**

**Enough idle chatter! Onto the story with Amaterasu and Issun…!**

**By the way, does anyone know any good Japanese names for girls? I need to come up with one and I'm stumped since I can't even give my AMERICAN characters good names. I have one name that I might use if I can't find anything better.**

…...

Despite the recent occurrences, good and horribly bad, Issun couldn't help but begin to relax. He slid open the door of the room that he and Amaterasu had been given at the inn for free. It was small, but very well decorated and there were two beds.

"Well, look at that, Furball. You get your own bed!" Issun laughed as he stepped in.

Amaterasu followed more slowly. She looked around with her head lowered to the ground and hesitantly sniffed at the air. She was not used to being inside such a small room in such a small building. Usually, her size permitted her from walking through most doors. However, she had yet to recover from losing her godly powers to the cursed air that hung over the village. Her new experience in a small room and her knowledge that if anything went wrong, she had no godly powers or divine instruments to protect her made her uneasy.

"Oh, come on! It's just a bad! Haven't you ever slept in a bed before?" Issun rolled his eyes in impatience as Amaterasu stalked in far too slowly for his liking.

Amaterasu sniffed one of the beds with her ears flat against her head. She didn't know what it was or if it could be trusted.

"Like this." Issun demonstrated by flopping onto the mat Amaterasu had been sniffing. She jumped back at the sound it made when Issun laid on it, but calmed down when she observed how relaxed Issun looked. "It's a whole lot nicer than sleeping on the ground, let me tell ya."

Amaterasu felt more courageous now that Issun had demonstrated how nice these things on the ground were. She was curious to try it for herself. With a few bounds, she jumped easily over Issun and stopped at the mat on the other side of him. She put an experimental paw on the thing called a "bed". Her paw sank into it slightly. It felt squishy. She walked onto it awkwardly; it didn't seem to hold her weight very well.

"That's it! Now lay down and relaaaax…" Issun said with a sigh.

Well, if Issun was enjoying it, she should to! Amaterasu walked in a circle once and lay down. The mat took her weight and sank slightly, holding her in a cushiony feeling of warmth. It was the best thing she could ever remember laying on. She wagged her tail as she curled up more in the bed and closed her eyes.

"Atta girl." Issun laughed at her as she rolled onto her back to enjoy it even more. "Get rested up so we can get to work tomorrow at finding those stupid dogs. If they're anything like you, we're in for a hard time."  
Amaterasu woofed once and looked over at Issun, still on her back so he was upside down. This amused her and she wagged her tail harder. How did Issun get on the ceiling?  
Issun took off his hat, shoes, bag, cloak, and sword and laid them in a less than neat pile at the side of his bed before pulling the covers over himself while lying down. He closed his eyes with the full intention of going to sleep, but he was too troubled to relax enough.

Crimson Helm. That monster sounded horrible beyond anything that he had ever heard of. What sort of monster had the power to take over a shrine and stay there for one hundred years comfortably on a meal of priests and priestesses? It was all very troubling and to know that they would have to deal with the beast was even worse. Issun couldn't imagine what it looked like, much less think of a way to confront it. To make matters worse, Amaterasu still showed no signs of recovery. As a regular wolf, she would be completely useless in a fight against any demon. He hoped that she would recover soon because, no matter how much training he had received from his grandfather in sword fighting, and no matter if the skills he was taught were created originally by the best swords master who ever lived, he wouldn't be able to stand against Crimson Helm without assistance from the goddess, Amaterasu.

Amaterasu watched Issun upside down until he fell into an uneasy sleep. She could practically smell the stress coming off of him as he slumbered. There was no way for her to know what he had been thinking or understand his emotions but she watched him anyway before she decided that she wanted to curl up and sleep as well. She began to do just that, curling back into a comfortable ball position before closing her eyes to sleep.

...A minute passed… two minutes passed… she opened her eyes and lifted her head. The bed was comfortable, yes. But she was lonely on this side of the room. Her ears fell back against her head. She didn't like sleeping alone. Issun's bed wouldn't be any less comfortable than hers, would it? She decided to test this. She got up and walked very carefully to Issun and curled up at his back. She was right; his bed was just as comfortable. She snuggled with him and sniffed his scent. Amaterasu was confused. Something in her memory told her that this wasn't the normal smell that she would smell when she slept beside someone. The smell she remembers was a fresh scent with a hint of flowers. She had been smelling a lot of flowers lately; she wondered what that scent meant. She wanted to find the source of the flower smell, she enjoyed it. Not that she didn't enjoy Issun's smell; it made her think of having fun. Oh well, she would deal with the flower smell in the morning.

Issun was having the most wonderful dream; he had just single handedly defeated the horrible beast that inhabited the Gale Shrine. He was walking back to the village to present the monster's head to the beautiful priestess, Princess Fuse. The townsfolk cheered as he paraded into their small settlement, holding Crimson Helm's head high for them all to see. They began to call him such names as "Issun the Great" and "The Greatest Warrior Who Ever Lived" as they lifted him onto their shoulders. They struggled lifting him for a moment for he was so tall and muscular. A celebration of grand proportions took place around Issun as the crowd set him on the ground in front of Princess Fuse. She was wearing a cherry blossom pink kimono that was almost see-through and she looked ravishing. She thanked him graciously for saving them all, especially her. As Princess Fuse got closer, her voice slipped into a whisper as she said she would "do anything that Issun wished to show her gratitude…" Despite how strange Princess Fuse was, Issun was allowed to observe all of her beautiful features at this close of a range, but he put his arms around her and pulled her closer just for good measure. Her stunning eyes, her high cheekbones, her smooth skin, her hot breath on his face that smelled of rancid meat and drool…

Issun opened his eyes wide, his brow furrowed at how his dream had suddenly come to a horrible end. His very first conscious vision was that of Amaterasu, curled up in front of him with her head on the pillow right in front of his face. She had her mouth opened wide and her tongue was lolling against the thick wet spot on the pillow that she had created from her drool. To make the entire scenario worse, Issun found that his arms were wrapped around the lupine goddess and he seemed to have been holding her tenderly in his sleep.

He let out a mortified shriek before jumping upright out of the bed and backing against the wall. He wanted to put as much distance from the bed and Amaterasu. He hoped with all of his being that he hadn't done anything highly regrettable and frowned upon by most members of society with the wolf while he had been asleep.

In immediate response to the sound of Issun's distress, Amaterasu awoke with a loud yelp of her own, scrambling to her feet but slipping around in the covers. When she finally managed to stand up, she looked around the room for any sign of danger, the fur on the back of her neck raised.

"Ya stupid, flea bitten mutt!" Issun shouted at Amaterasu, exchanging his embarrassment with anger towards the poor, unknowing wolf. "What were you doing in my bed?"

Amaterasu lowered her body closer to the floor, her ears drooping slightly. She knew she had been bad again.

"Look what you're nasty mouth did to my pillow!" Issun grabbed the pillow and shoved it into Amaterasu's face. "It looks like someone peed on it!"

Amaterasu whimpered and scuttled to the other side of the room, her tail tucked between her legs. She glanced back at Issun with big, sad, brown eyes of sincere apology for her behavior before retreating to a corner to punish herself.

Issun watched somewhat guiltily as Amaterasu sat as close as she could to the wall and tried to make herself as small as possible. She looked even more pathetic considering that she STILL hadn't recovered her divine powers from the cursed air. Maybe he shouldn't yell at her so much when she was sick, especially when she kept giving him those eyes… those sad, puppy dog eyes.

He let out a sigh of surrender and exasperation as he knelt on the floor, rolled his eyes over dramatically and held out a hand to her. "C'mere…"

Amaterasu's system was instantly overloaded with happiness. Her face lit up with the most over-exagerated look of excitement Issun had ever seen in an animal as she made a mad scramble to turn around out of the corner and run at him. She was simply completely overjoyed that she wasn't in trouble anymore and she couldn't contain it any longer. Amaterasu sprung into the air and landed with the full force of her body in Issun's chest.

Issun fell to the floor with a loud thump and laid there stunned for a second while Amaterasu licked his face and everywhere else she could reach from her spot on his chest.

"Gah! Get off; you're slobbering me all over!" Issun shouted and tried desperately to push the wolf off. Even though she wasn't huge, she was still surprisingly heavy and strong. Issun couldn't move her. He was resigned to simply trying to protect his face. "Cut it out, you dumb furball!"

Amaterasu finally jumped off of him but was still overflowing with joy. She showed it by looking up at him, her face forming a smile as she panted heavily. Issun smiled as she wagged her tail and followed at his immediate side while he grabbed his things and walked out the door to check out of the inn. They still had some very important business to attend to. Saving the world and stuff like that.

Ushiwaka stood in a very large and grand room. The lighting was dim as he approached the very far back of the room where a woman was sitting. Her soft prayers to the gods echoed off of the walls of her throne room and created a symphony of whispering that seemed almost ethereal in nature. The soft flames that flickered atop of hundreds of candles flickered at every inflection in the whispers that floated through the air. It gave Ushiwaka chills as he slowly made his way across the long, green carpet to an altar that was blocked by a screen curtain. In front of the altar sat the woman, lavishly dressed in expensive and regal clothing. Her head was bowed to the altar. Ushiwaka noticed that the altar was certainly not normal as far as the standards of Nippon went, for there was a large orb floating just above it. The orb had a yellow cloth that floated around it like a veil, framing its gleaming figure perfectly. Ushiwaka could tell that the orb had great power just at a glance; a glance was all he dared to look at it. He feared that he might lose himself in its power if he looked too long.

The whispered prayers suddenly stopped and the candles flickered without interruption. Ushiwaka quickly observed his surroundings both physically and spiritually once the prayers ceased. The woman sat up but did not turn around entirely as she addressed him.

"You are quite early, Captain." The woman's soft, sweet voice commented.

"I assumed that whatever you had to tell me was important so I made my way to your palace post haste." Ushiwaka said with a slightly mischievous smile on his lips. He dropped to one knee gracefully and gave the woman a deep bow, lowering his head in respect and submission to the woman who stayed hidden behind the screen veil.

"This is true, but I have not yet informed one of my servants to send for you." The woman answered Ushiwaka.

"Think of it as a convenience for you." Ushiwaka lifted his head to speak directly to her.

"You're sight of the future never ceases to amaze me. Without any assistance from any magical artifact, you can make predictions…" The woman said with a sad sigh in her voice. Her head inclined to the orb floating above the altar.

"Yes, my queen… However, your artifacts paint a much more clear and accurate picture than my visions." Ushiwaka said quickly but not without tact.

"I Suppose…" The woman lowered her head to the altar once more.

"Excuzes-moi… but I hope this is not the reason you wish to see me; I don't have the power to aid you in this manner. I can only serve you as the Captain of your special forces." Ushiwaka said, tilting his head slightly in an attempt to read her emotions. She was well guarded but Ushiwaka felt confident that he might be able to glean her motives without too many questions.

The woman remained unnaturally silent for a few uneasy moments for Ushiwaka. She was more difficult to read than he had thought. "…You have been disappearing frequently as of late, Captain."

"Ah, pardonne-moi, my queen. It was not out of disloyalty-…" Ushiwaka tried to explain without letter the woman know too much about his activities lately.

"There is no need for an explanation, Captain. I have seen it in my crystal ball. Your searching is at an end, yes?" The woman asked kindly.

"Well, it is difficult…" Ushiwaka said nervously with some embarrassment. He did not enjoy admitting to such a high authority figure that he was still not in control of his own situation. "My search is only half over."

"I do not understand entirely what you have gone through, but it seems that a powerful being requires your assistance. You have my leave to go and fulfill this destiny." The woman said.

Ushiwaka bowed to her once again.

"Merci, my queen." Ushiwaka said with a large smile.

"No need to give me false thanks, Captain. I knew that you would have left my service in order to help her whether or not I allowed it." The woman said; a trace of a smile in her voice.

"Ah-… yes…" Ushiwaka laughed nervously.

"You will still serve under me until that time comes, won't you?" The woman asked him.

"Yes, I will."

…

**I finished Okamiden! Wooo, what a wild ride that thing was. Not as epic as its predecessor but pretty good none the less. I was surprised by the graphics of the game considering that it was for DS even though I thought it was too short, didn't tie things up at all in the end, and killed off the second best character of the game. Poopheads. I kind of want to make an "Okami: chapter 2: okamiden" story but there wasn't a whole lot of plot to the game to work with... I did cry at the end of the game so that's a good sign that I got into it. Main thing, I won't be distracted by the game anymore and I hope to put more into writing now that I got that out of the way.**

**I heard whisperings of a third game for the okami series, but without clover studios working on it, I can only imagine that it will be even worse than okamiden. I really don't know what to think about it. I'll probably buy the game and play it since I'm an Okami fan but I don't think I'll preorder it… provided these whispers are true.**

**Btw, how do the fans of my story feel about me writing a pre-story to the events in this fan fiction I'm writing? I've been contemplating if I even want to go there or not…**

**My birthday is coming up soon! It's in a matter of days! Wish me happy birthday on June 15****th****! :D**


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